an impressive defensive display away against Arsenal in the FA Cup, as Leeds slipped to a narrow 1–0 defeat after a late Thierry Henry strike. The last game of this run coincided with Simon Grayson's final game as manager before being sacked on the final day of the month; a 4–1 home defeat to Birmingham City on a January transfer deadline day that saw Leeds recruit competition for Thompson in the form of Tottenham Hotspur's youngster Adam Smith on loan. Thompson lost his place to Smith in the following game and caretaker manager Neil Redfearn first match in charge in what was a comfortable 3–0 victory away to Bristol City. Thompson would find his opportunities limited for the rest of the season whilst Leeds appointed former Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock to replace Grayson. After the expiration of Leeds' slim hopes of making the Play-Offs, Thompson returned to the first-team and made his first appearance under Warnock on 6 April 2012 away to Reading. He lasted 13 minutes in the game before being given a straight red card for a lunging challenge on Jobi McAnuff as a resilient Leeds side went down 0–2 to two late goals from Adam Le Fondre. He would cap his first professional senior with two further starts in a draw and a defeat against Cardiff City and Leicester City. After appearing for the team in the pre-season summer 2012 schedule, Thompson found himself on the fringes of the squad for Warnock's first full season in charge as fellow young prospect Sam Byram leapfrogged him in the pecking order for the right sided position. Nevertheless, he made his first appearance of the 2012–13 season as a substitute in a League Cup match against Oxford United on 28 August as Leeds ran out 3–0 winners. Thompson signed a new three-year deal at the club on 2 October, with manager Neil Warnock predicting a bright future for the player at the club whilst reiterating the need for Thompson to gain valuable match experience from a loan spell in the lower leagues. Bury loan move On 15 October 2012, Thompson and teammate Dominic Poleon joined League One side Bury in a month-long loan deal. Both youngsters would be working under the newly appointed Bury manager Kevin Blackwell, who had a seventeen-year association with Warnock as player and coach between 1986 and 2003 and had managed Thompson's parent club