Terell Thomas: 'I kept my eye on Carlisle United from then'

So much so that, when the Blues offered him the chance to play for them this summer, Terell Thomas was intrigued. “I remember being with the away team [Charlton Athletic] that day, when everything sort of came to fruition and Captain America came onto the pitch,” Thomas says, remembering the Piataks’ memorable introduction as new United owners.

“I’ve kept my eye out since that day to see what really was going on with Carlisle. Beforehand I didn’t know what was going on, then I asked around and people told me they had been taken over by some new American owners.

“I think it was the feeling of a start of something brewing here. [After speaking to the club], I felt that, in terms of the new ownership and what the club's really trying to push and do, it really aligned with my stage of my career.”

Thomas watched from the bench that day, then started as Charlton defeated Carlisle 3-2 at The Valley later in the season. After two years with the south London club, and a career almost entirely spent in the south, he has committed the next 24 months to Cumbria.

Thomas was on the bench when Charlton played at Carlisle last November - the day the Piataks were welcomed as new United owners (Image: Ben Holmes)

“There were a few considerations, obviously, around family and stuff like that,” says the 28-year-old. “There were a few other clubs, but I just feel that this was a really stable move for me, in terms of my football career and other things that I want to lead into the rest of my life. I'll put it that way.

“It was always one that I was leaning towards. After a few chats with the gaffer, and a Zoom call with the owners, I put my decision in this and it was the right decision.

“After playing Carlisle towards the end of last season, after the game I thought, ‘It’s a good team’. And then talking to the manager and the way he wants to play and how he wants to implement his style of football, it really aligned with the type of football that I want to play.

“And that's the first question [you ask] – does the football suit you and do you think that the club can win the majority of its games through the season? And I believe that, speaking to the manager.

“And then the other side of things, going around the club, was the owners. And they really pitched that to me really well.”

Thomas says he has watched United with interest since the Piatak takeover - and spoke to the American family before agreeing to join the Blues (Image: Barbara Abbott)

Thomas, from afar, observed United going down from League One after a failed campaign in 2023/24. Yet now he’s part of the club he does not feel such a direction has to remain. Indeed, it could bring about a reset which could have positive and long-term ramifications, he believes.

“It was unfortunate that we weren't able to stay in League One, but I think that gives us a real opportunity to build as a club for the future,” he says. “Sometimes you can see when clubs might go up too early in their journey, it really hinders them because it's too much of a big expectation for some clubs.

“If you look at Ipswich Town,  they spent a few years in League One and really built an identity at the club and built a really solid base. And that's allowed them to go ‘bang, bang’ – double promotion.

“So, I really feel that this club could be in that sort of bracket, but obviously at the beginning stages of it.”

Thomas says he has found Carlisle a “nice, relaxed city” as he continues the settling-in process. On the pitch, it is easy to imagine him being an imposing figure among team-mates and in the face of opponents.

Certainly United’s defensive stature appears to have increased with Thomas and fellow summer signing Aaron Hayden joining. “I'm a very front-footed defender, aggressive,” Thomas says.

“And when I remember playing against Carlisle, they were very much on the front foot. They didn't just sit back in the low block, which I don't like playing football like that. I like to be on the front foot and making things happen.

“The way Carlisle played and the way the manager said how he wants to play, it was really positive for me. I really liked that.”

Thomas' career has included spells at Arsenal, Charlton, Crewe, Reading and Wimbledon (pictured) (Image: PA)

Thomas began as a youngster at Arsenal before making his football journey via Charlton, Woking, AFC Wimbledon, Crewe Alexandra, Reading and Charlton again. He has built his career on some important early foundations.

“Probably the main person [who influenced me] is my dad,” he says. “Ever since I was young, he really pushed me, forcing me to go to the park on extra occasions.

“Obviously, when you're young, like 10, 11, 12, you're thinking, ‘It's not what I really want to do. I want to sit on my PlayStation’. But yeah – he's really been behind me every step of the way.

“In terms of coaches, I would say one, when I was young, is Danny Buck. He was an under-9s coach at Arsenal. Some of the stuff that he implemented in the technical side of football, I still try those little drills now.”

As well as constructing a positive club career, Thomas has more recently had the rich experience of international football. Through his parents, he qualifies for the Saint Lucia team and earned his first call-up in 2022. He is now the nation’s captain.

“It's always been something that I've thought that could happen. But it's just been a case of getting in contact with the right people,” he says.

“A good friend of mine made the reach out to the SLFA. And luckily, the sporting director is an ex-English player. He played at Bradford [Ces Podd, a former Bantams team-mate of United head of recruitment Greg Abbott] and after [making] contact, getting everything done was pretty simple.

Thomas was called up by Saint Lucia - for whom he qualifies through his parents - after reaching out to Ces Podd, left, who is a former team-mate of United's Greg Abbott, far right (Image: Saint Lucia Star)

“The connection is through my parents. [To play for the country] was a great honour. And to be captain now is an even bigger honour. But international football has a totally different feel to it when you play. It just seems a bit more…not serious, but it seems a bit more personal.

“The games feel a lot more personal because it's for your nation. These are the group of boys that you're going to go with through [many] seasons. It's not like a club team, where you can sign four or five players in a season and it's a new squad. This is the squad that you're going to have for the coming years. So, yeah, the experience is fantastic.”

Thomas skippers Saint Lucia and intends to be at the forefront with Carlisle. On his intention to bring leadership to the Blues, he says: “Most definitely. I try to lead mostly in the way I apply myself every day in terms of stuff in the gym, the way I train, pushing people, getting people to push themselves and keeping the tempo high. That’s probably my main type of leadership.”

Thomas, right, in action for Charlton against Carlisle at the Valley last season (Image: Richard Parkes)

His first chance to apply those traits, and the rest of his footballing abilities, to the United shirt comes this Friday, when Carlisle’s pre-season friendlies get under way at Penrith. Between then and August 10 it will be vital for Thomas and his fellow defenders to form positive and strong connections that can help deliver more scenes of celebration - but footballing ones this time - such as those he witnessed last November.

“Yeah, that’s really important, but they [those relationships] will come,” he says. “They'll come naturally because it's a good dressing room. Everyone's willing to listen and learn. And everyone's willing to give information as well, which is really important.

“If there's too many of the same type of character, then it can be difficult to get some sort of cohesion or to build as a squad or as a backline. So I think, first things first, we've got good people and a good group to work with. That’s an important place to start.”