Michael Williams (born 6 February 1965) is a Welsh former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played in

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

for Chester City and

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

as both a defender and 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 ...

Playing career

Williams had been with Everton as a schoolboy before playing for Hawarden Rangers, where he was spotted by Chester coach

Cliff Sear Reginald Clifford Sear (22 September 1936 – 8 July 2000) was a Welsh football left back who played for Manchester City between 1956 and 1967. During this time he made 250 appearances for the team and scored one goal. He was captain of the Wel ...

. He made his

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

debut on 8 May 1982 in a 2–1 home defeat to Lincoln City in the number eight shirt. He had spells in and out of the first–team over the next two years, in a side that contained fellow homegrown youngsters such as Paul Blackwell, Peter Bulmer and Peter Zelem. He made his final appearance for Chester against

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

on 7 May 1984 before he was released by manager John McGrath. During his time at Chester, Williams and teammate John Allen had been set to join Chelsea on trial with a view to permanent transfers, but the deals collapsed after Williams was stretchered off in a match against

Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...

. He quickly joined Chester's arch rivals

, where he quickly established himself in the first-team side. Over the next six years, Williams went on to make 238 first-team appearances for the North Wales club, helping them win the

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup (), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most prestigious of the cup competitions ...

against

Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team competes in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. Formed in ...

in 1985–86. His final game for the club came in a

European Cup Winners Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winne ...

tie 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 October 1990, with a persistent knee injury forcing him to retire from playing the following year.Mike Williams testimonial matchday programme; 7/4/1992; pg. 2 On 7 April 1992, a testimonial match for Williams was staged between

and Chester City. A crowd of 1,984 saw a 1–1 draw between Williams' two former clubs.

Honours

Wrexham *

winners: 1985–86.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Mike 1965 births Living people Footballers from Flintshire Welsh men's footballers English Football League players Men's association football midfielders Men's association football defenders Chester City F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players Men's association football utility players