MANY of the top teams have one. At Manchester United it's Ryan Giggs, at Arsenal Marc Overmars and at Spurs double winning player of the season David Ginola.

At Albion Rod Thomas is the wide man with the capacity to both enthral and infuriate.

The days since Thomas was touted as a wonder kid at Watford, playing at the highest level, have long gone.

But he still has it in him to be a key figure for the Seagulls at Withdean next season, providing he does not go it alone.

Micky Adams clearly appreciates the jinking qualities of Thomas, but the boss made it clear after an apt ending to the Gillingham exile that Thomas will have to display his skills within a team pattern.

The way George Graham got the best out of Ginola at Tottenham this season proves that a no-nonsense manager and talented player can work in tandem.

It will be fascinating to see how the relationship between Adams and Thomas develops.

There were arguably better candidates for the player of the season accolade from his fellow pros and those of us who write about the game than the gifted Ginola.

He got my vote though because he possesses the sublime skill to make supporters stand up in this era of all-seater stadia.

The sense of anticipation on the terraces when Thomas made a cameo appearance in the last half-hour on Saturday in place of Albion's player of the season, Gary Hart, was unmistakeable.

He did not disappoint in his first outing of the year. A couple of elusive runs were hugely enjoyed by a bumper crowd.

That was the enthralling bit. The infuriating bits were the stray passes and crosses which invariably followed.

Jeff Minton, Albion's other creative force, produced pinpoint accuracy with a free-kick from which the unmarked Richard Barker headed the Seagulls into a flattering first half lead.

By his own admission the odds are stacked against Minton staying, although the word is that he has turned down a big money move to ambitious Rushden and Diamonds.

Andy Barlow bundled in a last minute equaliser, an appropriate climax to two years of Kentish misery. The next time Albion trek to Gillingham they hope it will be in the First or Second Division.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.