SOME Welsh football fans think Swindon Town legend Paul Bodin could, perhaps even should, have been selected to go to the European Championships – as a player – writes ALED THOMAS.

The 56-year old, who played almost 250 games across two spells for town in the 1980s and 1990s, is already working with Wales head coach Rob Page as the men’s national team prepares for the Euros.

But could he have been drafted into the squad as a player, specifically to take penalties?

The pundits on Podcast Pel-droed, a programme specifically about Welsh soccer were picking their 26-player squads last week ahead of Wales’ boss Page’s selection announcement on Sunday.

They spoke about their concern that the expanded squads could bring with it problems - at the 2016 Euros, Wales used 19 players out of the 23 player squad in getting to the semi-finals.

The four podcasters, Russell Todd, Leon Barton, Gareth Taylor and Richard Owain Roberts suggested there would be even more unused players if 26 were selected – and how this could cause unrest in the camp.

Gareth Taylor came up with a very original thought: perhaps the 26th player could be a penalty specialist, selected only to take a penalty in the event of a shoot-out in the knock-out rounds.

It was suggested there might be such a player in the Cymru Premier League and Gareth said: “What sort of shape has Paul Bodin kept himself in these days?

“He never used to miss for Swindon.”

Expanding on the thought he said drafting Bodin, and getting him to take a penalty would be a form of redemption, if it was successful. Wales fans remember with heavy hearts his penalty miss in a crucial qualifier against Romania in Cardiff in 1993, when a goal would have likely seen Wales qualify for USA 94.

In the end, Bodin missed the cut, but with one player already having dropped out through injury, if another player gets hurt, perhaps he should still take his boots.