Happy birthday to Rhyl 1879’s Cassie Thomas

Happy birthday to Cassie Thomas – a well-known football figure who has enjoyed success as both a player and coach.

Born on July 7, 1990, Cassie was a key part of Rhyl FC Ladies’ Welsh Premier Women’s League adventure, which lasted from 2014-15 to 2018-19.

In their final season at that level, Cassie was player-manager for the team.

The 2019-20 campaign saw Cassie take up an exciting appointment as assistant-manager to Sara Hilton at newly-formed Connah’s Quay Nomads ladies.

The Deesiders finished runners-up in North Wales League Division Two, going unbeaten in a season curtailed due to Covid.

Nomads also stunned women’s football by reaching the Welsh Cup semi-finals, knocking out Welsh Premier team Port Talbot along the way, but their last-four clash with Swansea City never took place because of the pandemic.

With the entire 2020-21 season cancelled, for the same reason the previous one ended prematurely, Cassie joined the new CPD Y Rhyl 1879 management team last term, working alongside Joy Jamieson and Darren Wardle.

The 2021-22 season also brought a huge event as Cassie and wife Rachael Nattrass, the 1879 women’s captain, welcomed their beautiful daughter Layla into the world on January 31, 2022.

Cassie returned to playing football towards the end of the season, helping 1879 win the North Wales Women’s League title without losing a single match.

A B-licence holder, Cassie has also coached in the United States, as well as being in charge of an under-14 team, so her football CV has never stopped growing.

As a player, Cassie played for Kinmel Bay and Tranmere Rovers before joining Rhyl. She has always been strong in the tackle and renowned for delivering an excellent dead-ball.

Basically, she’s a football all-rounder and someone who has done a great deal to help the development of the girls and women’s game in Rhyl and the surrounding area.

Happy birthday Cassie – have a great day. 🎂🎂🍾🍾🍸🍸