Shaun Williams (born 19 October 1986) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. He is first-team coach at club Welling United. During his professional career he played for Drogheda United, Finn Harps, Sporting Fingal, MK Dons, Millwall,

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, Gillingham and ended his career with Eastbourne Borough. He represented the Republic of Ireland national team at various levels, gaining three caps for the senior team in 2018.

Career

Drogheda United

Raised in Portmarnock in North

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Williams signed for nearby League of Ireland club Drogheda United from schoolboy club Home Farm FC at the start of the 2005 season and played with the club's under 21 side for the year. After impressing for the under 21 side, Williams was offered a full-time professional contract with the club which he signed ahead of the 2006 season. Struggling to make his first team breakthrough that year, Drogheda looked to loan him out for the following year for experience.

Dundalk loan

Williams spent the 2007 League of Ireland First Division season on loan at Drogheda United's

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

rivals

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

. He made 25 appearances, scoring 8 goals as Dundalk finished in 3rd place.

Finn Harps loan

He spent the opening half of the 2008 season on loan from Drogheda United at Finn Harps following their promotion to the League of Ireland Premier Division in 2007 via the playoffs. He made 14 appearances, scoring two goals. His first goal came in the opening match of the season as Harps beat fellow Premier Division newcomers Cobh Ramblers 2–1 in Finn Park. He followed that up with his second in three games as Harps beat U.C.D. 1–0. Failing to score in the rest of his appearances for Harps, his loan ended in Summer 2008 as he returned to Drogheda United for the remainder of the season.

Return from loans

He made his first team debut for the club on 20 July 2008, coming off the bench at halftime for Sami Ristilä in a 1–0 win over

Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

. He went on to make a further 3 appearances before the end of the season.

Sporting Fingal

Williams signed for League of Ireland First Division side Sporting Fingal and made his debut away to Waterford United on 7 March 2009. He scored 10 goals in 25 appearances in all competitions as his side finished 3rd in the league, beating Bray Wanderers 4–2 on aggregate in the Promotion/relegation play-off final. They also beat Sligo Rovers to win the 2009 FAI Cup with Williams playing the full 90 minutes of the Final at Tallaght Stadium. He was voted into the PFAI First Division Team of the Year at the end of the season. The 2010 season was Fingal's first ever season in the League of Ireland Premier Division but they and Williams took to it well, finishing in 4th place and earning a

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

place for the following season. Williams made his first appearances in European competition in July 2010 when he captain his side at home and away to C.S. Marítimo of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

as they lost both legs 3–2. Williams was selected in the League of Ireland XI to play a friendly against

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

in the first ever match at the Aviva Stadium. At the end of the season, Williams won the 2010 PFAI Young Player of the Year award as voted by his fellow players at the end of the season. Just weeks before the 2011 season, Sporting Fingal went out of existence due to financial difficulties leaving Williams a free agent.

Milton Keynes Dons

On 16 March 2011, Williams signed for MK Dons. Despite making his name as a midfielder, he primarily as a centre-half for the club due to injuries and a small squad. At the end of the 2012–13 campaign, Williams was crowned the MK Dons Player of the Year and the Players' Player of the Year.

Millwall

On 27 January 2014, Williams signed for Millwall on a -year contract for an undisclosed fee. During his time at Millwall he accumulated 290 appearances in all competitions, scoring 22 goals.

Portsmouth

On 25 June 2021, Williams signed for

of League One. Williams was released after one season at the club.

Gillingham

On 10 June 2022, Williams signed for League Two side Gillingham on a one-year contract, reuniting with his former Millwall manager Neil Harris. He made his debut for the Kent side on the opening day of the 2022–23 season in a 2–0 away defeat to AFC Wimbledon. He scored his first goal for Gillingham on 5 February 2023, the only goal in a 1–0 home victory over Crawley Town. On 28 April 2023 it was announced that Williams had signed a new contract with the Kent club. On 3 August 2023 he was named as Gillingham club captain ahead of the 2023–24 season. On 15 May 2024, the club announced that he would be released in the summer when his contract expired.

Eastbourne Borough

On 13 September 2024, Williams joined National League South club Eastbourne Borough. Williams announced his retirement on 3 February 2025.

International career

He made his senior

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

debut at the age of 31 in a 2–0 friendly loss against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in May 2018. Williams scored his first senior international goal for Ireland on 6 September 2018, after coming off the bench against

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

in the UEFA Nations League. He made his third and final appearance for the national side in a 1–1 friendly draw to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

on 11 September 2018.

Coaching career

In May 2025, Williams was appointed first-team coach at Isthmian League Premier Division side Welling United.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first.''

Career statistics

Honours

Millwall * EFL League One play-offs: 2017 Individual * PFAI Team of the Year: First Division (2009), Premier Division (2010) * PFAI Young Player of the Year: 2010 * Milton Keynes Dons Player of the Year: 2012–13 *Milton Keynes Dons Players' Player of the Year: 2012–13

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Shaun 1986 births Living people Association footballers from Fingal Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-23 international footballers Republic of Ireland men's international footballers Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders Drogheda United F.C. players Dundalk F.C. players Finn Harps F.C. players Sporting Fingal F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Eastbourne Borough F.C. players League of Ireland players English Football League players League of Ireland XI players Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers 21st-century Irish sportsmen