They were together the night before that Arsenal game, a few sneaked pints in a local hotel as Thomas – then at the age of 37 – prepared for a final hurrah against the league champions, while player-coach Jones covered injuries by stepping up to the bench in his third spell at the club.
“We would just have a joke together, like we always did,” says Thomas. “He loved to laugh.”
Including in some difficult times.
Thomas would be visited regularly by Jones as he struggled through cancer treatment in 2019. Likewise, it was Thomas who would be a regular at Jones’ bedside as dementia began to take hold.
“We could give each other stick even when things were tough, like good friends can,” Thomas says, now at the venerable age of 71. “We were always there for each other. He would come in when I had cancer and say ‘It’s not looking good for you Mickey’. So when he was saying he felt ill, I’d say ‘never mind that, you’re looking worse!’ and I’d be able to get him to laugh, which was what felt normal.”
Normal became increasingly difficult as Jones deteriorated.
“I took him to as many games as I could but very often he’d want to go as soon as we got there,” says Thomas, adding the former European Cup winner would then tease him about having to go home and polish his medals.
“The mural is perfect – especially with the fist – but I just wish he was able to have seen it when he was still here because he deserved that.
“Playing for Liverpool was his dream but the contribution he made to this club was unbelievable.
“I was chatting to (former Wrexham youth coach) Steve Cooper and he was telling me that people don’t appreciate what a good coach he was. The way he handled people, the way he looked after youngsters. He had a special talent. He was a one-off and I still think of him every day.”