Sean Thornton was born on the 18th of May 1983, in the town of Drogheda in The Republic Of Ireland. He is a professional footballer, who currently plays in The Welsh Premier League for Aberystwyth Town as a midfielder. He can play right wing or centre midfield. He is an expert set piece taker. He began his career with Tranmere Rovers in the third tier of English football. He made 13 appearances and scored 1 goal for them in The 2001/2002 Season. His contract expired at the end of the season, and, aware of interest from bigger clubs, he turned down the offer of a new one. He was offered a contract by Sunderland manager Peter Reid. Sunderland were then in The F.A. Premier League, so he delightedly moved to Sunderland on a free transfer. At an F.A. tribunal, Sunderland were ordered to pay £225,000 to Tranmere as compensation for the time, money and effort put into his development. Tranmere also accused Sunderland of breaching F.A. and Football League regulations by making an illegal approach for Sean. Following an investigation by The F.A., Sunderland were found guilty of making an illegal approach for Sean, and were fined £1,500. He was given the number 24 shirt at Sunderland. He did not featured in the Sunderland first team at the beginning of The 2002/2003 Season and joined Blackpool on a one month loan in November 2002. He made his debut for Sunderland on 14 January 2003 in an F.A. Cup third round replay 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. He made his league debut in Sunderland's first league game after that, away at Everton on 18 January 2003. He scored his first goal on 5 April 2003 in a home league game against Chelsea. He controlled the ball on his chest and volleyed the ball past the Chelsea keeper and into the net from 25 yards. His goal gave Sunderland an early lead, although they would go on to lose the match 2-1. At the end of the match Gianfranco Zola requested to swap shirts with him. In total he made 14 appearances for Sunderland in The 2002/2003 Season, scoring once. Sunderland were relegated at the end of the season at the bottom of the league with a record low 19 points. Sean was voted Sunderland's Player Of The Season for The 2002/2003 Season. For The 2003/2004 Season Sean was given the number 15 shirt and was expected to play a far bigger role that the previous season. First choice right midfielder Matt Piper broke both legs in training in the summer of 2003, so Sean started the season as a first choice right midfielder and made 13 appearances at the start of the season before an ankle injury in October. He returned to the team in January 2004 and made a further 17 appearances. He scored 4 goals that season, and took many free kicks and corners. He took the corner against Derby which was scored by goalkeeper Mart Poom. He helped the team to the Play Offs and F.A. Cup Semi Finals. Thornton was unable to command a regular first team place at the start of The 2004/2005 Season and by September 2004 he was seeking a move away from the club. A transfer did not materialise. One of his finest games in a Sunderland shirt did come late in The 2004/2005 Season. At home to Rotherham United, he started the match on the bench. Julio Arca was injured and had to come off after 11 minutes. Sean scored two stunning free kicks, one in either half, as Sunderland won 4-1. He made 20 appearances in all, scoring 4 goals. Sunderland won the title that season, giving Sean his first medal. With Sunderland on the way back to The F.A. Premier League, Mick decided to have a clear out of players he didn't want. Despite Sean being one of the few players in the squad with F.A. Premier League experience, he was transfer listed. He had fallen out with then-Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy. Mick had urged Thornton to give up drinking alcohol, going to night clubs and eating unhealthily, and although he had tried, Thornton could not change his ways. Throughout his career he has been known to be a skilful and talented player, but just unable to perform to his maximum potential because of his alcohol and junk food problems. Instead of going from the second tier to the first tier, he went from the second tier to the third tier, as he was sold to Doncaster Rovers for £175,000. This was a club record fee paid for Doncaster. He made 36 appearances for Doncaster in The 2005/2006 Season, missing several weeks owing to an ankle injury suffered in September 2005 that needed surgery. He helped Doncaster reach the Quarter Finals of The Football League Cup putting in a fine performance and scoring the stunning third goal when Doncaster beat F.A. Premier League club Aston Villa 3–0 in November 2005. Manager Dave Penney praised Thornton, saying: "It was a great goal for Sean and he's looking much brighter and sharper these days, and long may that continue." After the game, Thornton said that he felt had made the right move in the summer, saying "It was a gamble for me. I still had two years left on my contract at Sunderland. It was one of them – would I go, would I not go? Obviously we're playing good football and I think I made the right decision. Now, hopefully, we can carry on the success until the end of the season and get promoted. That's the main thing." In The 2006/2007 Season, Thornton made 41 appearances, and helped Doncaster to victory over Bristol Rovers in the Football League Trophy final in April 2007 when he swung in a corner kick for Graeme Lee to head in to score the extra time winner at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Thornton was released by Doncaster manager, Sean O'Driscoll at the end of The 2006/2007 Season, and joined another League One side, Leyton Orient in July 2007 on a two year contract. Orient manager Martin Ling said that he was "... pleased to have Sean on board. We've been looking for a creative midfielder and Sean fits the bill perfectly. He will fit into our style of play and I believe we have signed a quality player." He scored on his debut against Southend United in August 2007, with a spectacular free kick from 30 yards in a 2–1 away win, and went on to make 34 appearances in The 2007/2008 Season, although he missed four matches after being sent off in October 2007 for allegedly punching another player. The following season, he joined Shrewsbury Town in September 2008 on a one month loan. On his return to Orient, he regained his place in the first team under new manager Geraint Williams and made a total of 34 appearances for Orient in The 2008/2009 Season in addition to his loan spell at Shrewsbury Town. He signed a new one-year contract with Orient in June 2009, with the option of a further year, but was released by Williams' replacement Russell Slade on 9 May 2010. For the whole of The 2010/2011 Season, he took a break from football to work on his fitness. After false reports that he had signed for Ukranian team FC Metalist Kharkiv, Thornton signed for Aberystwyth Town on a short term contract on 13 September 2011. The Aberystwyth manager described the signing of Thornton as the most significant in the history of The Welsh Premier League. Thornton captained the Irish under 21s during his Sunderland days, but after falling out with Don Givens he was axed from the squad and has since never featured for his country.