Margetson earns Wales call

The Leicester defender is set to make his Wales debut against Hungary in Budapest on 31 March, the first of a series of friendly matches.

"If I can play well in these games, then I'll have a chance of being in a few more squads," Thatcher said.

"My aim is to get as many caps as possible and also play in a major finals with Wales."

Thatcher played for England at Under-21 level, but has taken advantage of Fifa's change in rules that allows players capped at junior level to switch international allegiance.

The 28-year-old qualifies via his grandmother to play for Wales and is eager to seize the chance to play senior international football.

This is an exciting time for football in Wales Ben Thatcher

The left-back position has been problematic for Wales manager Mark Hughes, who has often reluctantly taken skipper Gary Speed out of midfield to play there.

Thatcher's manager at Leicester, Micky Adams, is sure that his player will be an asset to Wales: "When he is fit and playing well, Ben Thatcher is as good a left-back as there is in the country and I hope he takes his chance."

If Thatcher impresses in his natural position over the next few months, he knows he can stake a claim for the World Cup qualifiers, which begin in September.

"There are a few friendlies coming up. We've got this one in Budapest - my dad has booked all his mates on the flight! - and there are a couple more at the end of May," Thatcher added.

"It would be good to be part of the qualifiers for the World Cup. This is an exciting time for football in Wales.

"The team came so close to qualifying for the European Championships this summer and I am sure they'll give it a really good go for the World Cup."

Danny Coyne (Leicester City), Mark Crossley (Fulham), Paul Jones (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Martyn Margetson (Cardiff City), Rob Edwards (Aston Villa), Carl Fletcher (Bournemouth), Danny Gabbidon (Cardiff City), Andy Melville (West Ham United), Robert Page (Sheffield United), Gareth Roberts (Tranmere Rovers), Kit Symons (Crystal Palace), Ben Thatcher (Leicester City), Adrian Williams (Reading), Darren Barnard (Grimsby Town), Simon Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Andy Johnson (West Bromwich Albion), Jason Koumas (West Bromwich Albion), John Oster (Sunderland), Paul Parry (Cardiff City), Mark Pembridge (Fulham), Carl Robinson (Portsmouth), Robbie Savage (Birmingham City), Gary Speed (Newcastle United), David Vaughan (Crewe Alexandra), Craig Bellamy (Newcastle United), Nathan Blake (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rob Earnshaw (Cardiff City), Gareth Taylor (Nottingham Forest).

Gabor Babos (NAC Breda), Lajos Szucs (Ferencvaros), Zoltan Vegh (MTK), Attila Bojte (Gyori ETO), Roland Juhasz (MTK), Adam Komlosi (MTK), Zoltan Peto (Sopron), Peter Stark (Gyori ETO), Tamas Szekeres (Debrecen), Laszlo Bodnar (Arsenal Kyev), Boldizsar Bodor (Beerschot), Zsolt Dveri (Videoton), Zoltan Gera (Ferencvaros), Gyorgy Jozsi (Slavia Prague), Krisztian Lisztes (Bremen), Zsolt Low (Cottbus), Balazs Molnar (Zalaegerszeg), Tamas Peto (NAC Breda), Peter Simek (Ujpest), Balazs Toth (Videoton), Krisztian Kenesei (Kouan, China), Peter Kovacs (Tromso), Jozsef Sebok (Zalaegerszeg), Imre Szabics (Stuttgart), Sandor Torghelle (MTK).