PERS. INFORMATION

CLUB HISTORY

Club	Years
Afan Lido FC	Youth – 2016
Caerau FC	2016 – 2017
Goytre United FC	2017 -2021
Llantwit Major AFC	2021 – 2022
Briton Ferry Llansawel AFC	2022 –

INTERVIEW

Introduce yourself…

My name is Thomas Walters, I am 29 years old. I’m from a little village in the Garw Valley called Bettws and I play striker for Briton Ferry in the Welsh premier league.

Can you take us back to your time at Afan Lido, what first got you into football there?

The Afan Lido move came when I was 17/18 years old. I’d had a decent season that year in the old division 3 of the Welsh league. Scored 15-20 goals leading up to the end of the season and we played Lido away in the Welsh cup. I had the game of my life that game and scored 2 goals and we went on to win 3-1 away from home. A couple days later I had a call off the manager of Bettws saying lido had put in 7 days to speak to me and I couldn’t turn it down being so young and taking the next step in my career. Safe to say that move didn’t pan out well for me in the first team but I had a great time playing for the youth winning the FAW Youth cup with them.

How did the move to Caerau FC (Maesteg) come about? And what were your first impressions when you arrived at the club?

That was one of my best seasons as a player. After the lido move failed I decided to try and get confidence back and play in the 3rd division again so I went closer to home and played back under my manager Gareth Darks who was manager of Caerau. We finished 3rd the season I was there just missing out on promotion to Llantwit and STM Sports but personal achievements were good and I ended up. Scoring 30 goals and had a couple of offers from higher clubs including Briton Ferry but was too scared to take the leap after failing last time around.

What differences did you notice compared to your time at Afan Lido?

I think I was a bit too young. A bit too raw and a bit too shy to play in the then Division 1, and maybe jumped the gun too quick trying to “make it” as a footballer. I was way too underdeveloped and wasn’t ready quality wise for the move yet. So worked on what was missing to hopefully do it when I was a bit more mature.

What motivated your move to Goytre United? And how did your role as a striker evolve during your time there?

When I was finally ready to make the move I had a call off Lee John who was manager of Goytre United. I thought with a good preseason under my belt to settle in it was the right club for me. It was a good move for me. We managed to stay towards the top end of the league during my 3/4 years there. Think I must have played over 100 games for that club so I’ll always have a soft spot there. It’s sad to see they went down in the last couple of years so it’ll be nice to see them go back up the leagues. But it’s where I finally established myself as a goal scoring striker. I was scoring goals and playing well and as always it came to a sharp end when I had a complete bucket handle tear of my meniscus and sidelined me for 18 months not knowing I had played my last game for the club for a while.

How would you describe your time at Llantwit Major AFC?

After almost 2 years out the game I had lost where I was and didn’t know if I was even going to return to football. My phone had gone quiet and I was just a spectator of the Welsh leagues for a while until I had a Call off Karl Lewis. Who was manager of Llantwit Major at the time, this guy was proper crazy. He called me telling me if I signed for him we were going to finish top 3. But everything he said I believed, you wanted to play for him. There was a team full of local boys who just wanted to play football next to each other and work hard for each other. I was welcomed with open arms during preseason and was loving being back in the game.

Did your time at Llantwit Major AFC help you grow in any particular area of your game?

Llantwit was a shock to everyone, it was the best season of my life and my footballing career. We all made a pact together at the club that every game we play and win we’d have a good swig after the game. We ended up winning our first 10 games and for the players girlfriends and families it wasn’t the best time to be a partner of someone playing for Llantwit Major. Nevertheless we had an amazing season that year. Against all odds winning the Cymru south as complete underdogs. Giving our own Leicester City 2015-16 season beating all the teams with big budgets and quality players. I personally scored 27 goals that season in 30 games and picked up Cymru South player of the year.

In 2022, you joined Briton Ferry Llansawel AFC. How would you describe the squad and the atmosphere in the dressing room?

When I signed for Briton ferry it was a complete shift in what I was playing at the time. Andy Hill first showed me around the Llandarcy training facility and I was blown away. Everything they had there for you was the closest you’d ever feel to being a professional footballer. I’d had known a couple of the boys from playing against each other and knew the quality of players like Tyler Brock and Luke Bowen. The skipper was Alex Gammond who I’d made a good relationship with in my short spell at Lido but he turned out to be the best captain I’d played for. From planning before games to team talks before games. There was a good vibe around the team the first year but missing out on promotion to the Welsh prem was a big hit to us losing to Barry. But the season after we finally done it comfortably with basically the same team.

Looking back, which transfer was the most important for your development?

Llantwit was easily the biggest season of my career. It was the season that really put my name out there. I had known I could have done well before the season but really didn’t anticipate what we really done. It’s still talked about now and all the boys who played there must have the keys to the town there. We all have pictures on the wall up there and still have player discount on the beers.

What role do you see yourself playing in the team’s ambitions? And what are your personal targets for next season?

I always see myself as a hard working striker. I always back myself to be up there with the mileage and always back myself to score a couple goals every season, now getting older I wanna make myself available to youngsters coming through as a senior player and to pass on any knowledge I can. Scoring double figures has always been my personal gain in football. But maintaining Welsh Premier league status for Ferry has been the main goal for Me. No one likes having that “Relegated” next to their name when the game is up and they’ve retired. Being greedy id love to take Ferry to the next level and qualifying for Europe but we’ll have to see what the future brings.