Graham Williams (footballer, born 1936)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graham George Williams[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 31 December 1936 | ||
| Place of birth | Wrexham, Wales | ||
| Playing position | Left-winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wrexham | |||
| Oswestry Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1955–1956 | Bradford City | 8 | (2) |
| 1956–1959 | Everton | 31 | (6) |
| 1959–1963 | Swansea Town | 90 | (18) |
| 1963–1965 | Wrexham | 24 | (6) |
| 1965–1966 | Wellington Town | ||
| 1966–1968 | Tranmere Rovers | 74 | (12) |
| 1968–1969 | Port Vale | 23 | (1) |
| 1969–1970 | Runcorn | ||
| 1970–1975 | Oswestry Town | ||
| Total | 250+ | (45+) | |
| National team | |||
| Wales under-23s | |||
| 1961 | Wales | 5 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Graham George Williams (born 31 December 1936) is a Welsh former footballer. A left-sided winger, he scored 47 goals in 249 league games in a 14-year career in the Football League. He also won five senior caps for Wales in 1961.
He began his career with Wrexham and Oswestry Town, before moving to Everton via Bradford City in 1956. After three years on Merseyside he returned to Wales to play for Swansea Town. He returned to hometown club Wrexham in 1963, before joining Wellington Town in 1965. The next year he returned to the Football League with Tranmere Rovers. He helped the club to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1966–67, before he signed with Port Vale in July 1968. He joined Northern Premier League side Runcorn in May 1969, and later turned out for Oswestry Town.
Club career
Williams began his career in Welsh football with Wrexham and Oswestry Town, before making his name with Peter Jackson's Bradford City in the 1955–56 season. His two goals in eight Third Division North games were enough to win him a move from Valley Parade to First Division side Everton.
The "Toffees" struggled at the lower end of the table under the stewardship of Ian Buchan in 1956–57 and 1957–58, and showed little sign of improvement in the 1958–59 season under Johnny Carey. In his three years at Goodison Park, Williams scored six goals in 31 top-flight games.
Williams then moved on to Swansea Town, a side sitting comfortably halfway down the Second Division under the stewardship of Trevor Morris. The "Swans" finished 12th in 1959–60, seventh in 1960–61, 20th in 1961–62, and 15th in 1962–63. In four seasons at Vetch Field, Williams scored 20 goals in 89 league games.
He then made a return to Wrexham in 1963. Ken Barnes's "Dragons" were relegated out of the Third Division in 1963–64, and could only manage a 14th-place finish in the Fourth Division in 1964–65. Williams then left the Racecourse Ground for non-league side Wellington Town, who went on to finish 13th in the Premier Division of the Southern League in 1965–66.
He signed with Tranmere Rovers in summer 1966. He helped Dave Russell's side to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1966–67. Williams remained at Prenton Park for the 1967–68 season, as the "Superwhites" finished three points above the relegation zone.
Williams joined Fourth Division club Port Vale in July 1968.[2][3] He scored one goal in 25 league and cup appearances in the 1968–69 season, before he was dropped by manager Gordon Lee in January 1969.[2] He was given a free transfer away from Vale Park in May 1969, and moved on to Northern Premier League side Runcorn.[2] He later moved on to Oswestry Town.
International career
Williams earned five Welsh caps in 1961, after playing at the under-23 and schoolboy levels.
Post-retirement
Following his football career, Williams worked as a carpenter.[4]
Statistics
- Sourced from Graham Williams profile at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Bradford City | 1955–56 | Third Division North | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Everton | 1955–56 | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1956–57 | First Division | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | |
| 1957–58 | First Division | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | |
| 1958–59 | First Division | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 31 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 6 | ||
| Swansea Town | 1958–59 | Second Division | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 1959–60 | Second Division | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | |
| 1960–61 | Second Division | 33 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 9 | |
| 1961–62 | Second Division | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 5 | |
| Total | 90 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 97 | 18 | ||
| Wrexham | 1964–65 | Fourth Division | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 6 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 1966–67 | Fourth Division | 39 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 10 |
| 1967–68 | Third Division | 35 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 5 | |
| Total | 74 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 86 | 15 | ||
| Port Vale | 1968–69 | Fourth Division | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| Career Total | 250 | 45 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 273 | 48 | ||
Honours
- with Tranmere Rovers
- Football League Fourth Division fourth-place promotion: 1966–67
References
- ↑ "Graham Williams". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- 1 2 3 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 311. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ↑ "Graham Williams". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ↑ Edwards, Leigh (26 August 2012), "Back to the Future – Tranmere Rovers FC", Official Shrewsbury Town Matchday Programme: 32–33