Boss Sammy Lee went into the fixture having left midfield duo Kevin Nolan and Gary Speed out of the squad.
First, Garry Hay's curling effort from left midfield was headed to safety before Merouane Zemmama's 25-yard effort went well over Mark Brown's crossbar.
Steven Smith, who had been unable to reclaim a place since his recovery from injury and Smith's return to Ibrox, was handed an unfamiliar left midfield role.
Northern Ireland boss Nigel Worthington made two changes from Saturday's 1-0 defeat in Latvia with Brunt replacing Stuart Elliott in left midfield and striker Warren Feeney coming in for Kyle Lafferty.
But with Thatcher available, plus the form of Roberts and Crewe youngster David Vaughan - who plays left midfield or left wing-back at Gresty Road - Wales suddenly have strength in depth.
Left-back Fabio Grosso, who netted the winning penalty in the 2006 World Cup final against France, scored a classy opener against the Bulgarians while his Juve team-mate Claudio Marchisio did well on the left midfield flank.
Having started his career as a full-back, he can also play on the left of midfield or in a central role.
United forward Wayne Rooney was deployed on the left of midfield with the licence to go forward but his struggles continued and he looked unlikely to score his first goal from open play since March.
Thordarson handed a debut to youngster Scott McManus on the left of midfield and was pleased with the way he performed on his first appearance since joining from Curzon Ashton in the summer.
His manager at Celtic, Neil Lennon, has played him in an attacking left-midfield role, but his ability to operate in central midfield or as a striker could be an asset to Scotland boss Craig Levein.
However, the man closest to it was defender Jlloyd Samuel, playing in an unfamiliar left-midfield role, who appeared in the six-yard box but could not make contact, which rather summed up Bolton in the first half.
Substitute Rodwell broke down the right and squared across the box which Cahill left for his midfield partner to drill low into the net.
The nimble and tricky Osman had replaced the injured Steven Pienaar on the left of the Toffees midfield and it was his cross from which Johnson prodded into his own net to give the visitors a deserved lead as they notched their first away goal in the Premier League this season.
Although originally signed as a winger, N'Zogbia has been used both in midfield and at left-back by Newcastle this season.
Rafael, who was up against Gareth Bale on the left of Tottenham's midfield, was booked in the first half for a foul on Spurs midfielder Wilson Palacios.
Ousmane Ndoye will almost certainly fill in for the suspended Khalilou Fadiga on the left side of the Lions' midfield.
Just as the Dragons thought they may be heading for a famous victory, Alex Crockett cut through their midfield with 14 minutes left before off-loading to Hooper, who powered through for Bath's second try.
The Suffolk side lined up with the dangerous Connor Wickham on the left side of a five-man midfield as Town successfully stymied their Premier League opponents.
They have not won away from home since beating Sunderland on 8 November 2008 and the departures of Glen Johnson, Sean Davis and Peter Crouch have left them looking listless in defence, midfield and attack.
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Alba, a left-back, could probably start in midfield for most teams and coolly swept home past Gianluigi Buffon.
Replacement Salesi Finau did the damage with a surging run in midfield and Jones stepped off his left foot to slide over.
With David Vaughan brought in on the left, Ledley was pushed into a central midfield role and the Cardiff man was the star performer of a totally dominant first-half.
Left-back James Gibson featured in central midfield, fellow 19-year-old Lucas Akins was given a rare start up front, while recent signing Trent McClenahan was given his first start as Reid attempted to plug the leaks that have bedevilled the Accies rearguard in recent weeks.
The midfield and defenders snapped into tackles as Greece was left looking slow and confused.
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Robinson added the conversion and it got better for the visitors two minutes later when Tindall was afforded the freedom to gallop through midfield and send Simpson-Daniel in at the left corner.
Wales reasserted themselves, with Ramsey starting to pull the strings from midfield, and a Bale free-kick from wide left fizzed across goal but just lacked a final touch.
The Niners got the ball back with four seconds left but could only muster a Ted Ginn Jr. kick return to midfield.
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It was interesting to see Nasri play in central midfield against Middlesbrough on Sunday, because he normally plays on the left.
Wenger was delighted with his side's performance and was left to purr over 18-year-old Jack Wilshere's display in midfield.
And in the sixth minute Cha Du-Ri, playing in a more advanced role on the right of midfield, failed to connect with a superb Emilio Izaguirre cross from the left.
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