William Williams (footballer)

William Williams (born 1856) was a Welsh amateur footballer who played most of his football career with the Druids club of Ruabon. Generally playing at half-back, he made eleven appearances for Wales between 1876 and 1883.

Football career

Williams was born in Ruabon, Denbighshire and was trained as a chimney top maker, working for one of the clay works at Afongoch.[1]

He joined the Druids club in 1874 and in his time with the club, he appeared in eight finals of the Welsh Cup, winning the trophy five times.[1]

In February 1876, he took part in trials organised by the Druids' founder, Llewelyn Kenrick, to select Welsh players to represent their country in a match against Scotland.[2] The match was played at Hamilton Crescent, Partick, the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club on 25 March 1876, with Williams playing at left-half in a 2–2–6 formation.[3] The Welsh were well defeated, conceding four goals without reply.[4]

Williams was not selected for the return match against Scotland in 1877 and his second international appearance came on 23 March 1878, in a 6–0 defeat by Scotland at the original Hampden Park.[5]

A week later, on 30 March 1878, Druids played in the final of the inaugural Welsh Cup tournament, losing 1–0 to local rivals Wrexham.[6]

Known as "little Billy", Williams became a stalwart of the Druids side, who "could run all day" and "had endless reserves of stamina", although "never a subtle player"; his strong points were his "perfect tackling" and his "vigorous support" of the forwards.[1] In a report on one match, it was said that "he puts a stop to many a dangerous run, he is a most effective player though not one of the fastest.[1] He outlasted all of his contemporaries, continuing to play for the Druids until 1890. He spent the 1878–79 season at Oswestry, when Druids were temporarily without a ground and also made occasional appearances for Bootle, where R A Lythgoe, the former Druids official, was now club secretary.[1]

At international level, he missed only four of the first 15 Welsh international matches and reserved his best performances for matches against Scotland, earning him the nickname of "Scotty".[1]

International appearances

Williams made eleven appearances for Wales in official international matches, as follows:[7]

Date Venue Opponent Result[8] Goals Competition
25 March 1876 West of Scotland Cricket Ground, Partick  Scotland 0–4 0 Friendly
23 March 1878 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Scotland 0–9 0 Friendly
18 January 1879 Kennington Oval, London  England 1–2 0 Friendly
17 April 1879 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham  Scotland 0–3 0 Friendly
15 March 1880 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham  England 2–3 0 Friendly
26 February 1881 Alexander Meadows, Blackburn  England 1–0 0 Friendly
14 March 1881 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham  Scotland 1–5 0 Friendly
25 February 1882 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham  Ireland 7–1 0 Friendly
13 March 1882 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham  England 5–3 0 Friendly
25 March 1882 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Scotland 0–5 0 Friendly
17 March 1883 Ulster Cricket Ground, Ballynafeigh  Scotland 1–1 0 Friendly

Honours

Druids

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 220. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
  2. ↑ "The Story of Welsh Football". 1876 Kenrick's Challenge. www.wrexham.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  3. ↑ "1876 Programme". The Story of Welsh Football. www.wrexham.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  4. ↑ "Scotland 4 Wales 0 (25 March 1876)". Welsh Football Data Archive. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "Scotland 6 Wales 0 (23 March 1878)". Welsh Football Data Archive. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  6. ↑ "Wrexham 1 Druids 0 (30 March 1878)". Welsh Cup Final. Welsh Football Data Archive. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  7. ↑ Samuel, Bill (2009). The Complete Wales FC 1876–2008. Soccer Books. pp. 5–7. ISBN 1-86223-176-1.
  8. ↑ Wales score first