| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1971-08-16)16 August 1971 (age 54) | ||
| Place of birth | Reading, England | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1996 | Reading | 196 | (14) |
| 1996–2000 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 28 | (0) |
| 2000 | →Reading (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2000–2004 | Reading | 122 | (3) |
| 2004–2006 | Coventry City | 35 | (2) |
| 2005 | →Millwall (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2006–2009 | Swindon Town | 28 | (0) |
| 2009 | Weston-super-Mare | ? | (?) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1994–2003 | Wales | 13 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1994–1995 | Reading (joint caretaker) | ||
| 2006 | Swindon Town (caretaker) | ||
| 2010 | Bedford Town | ||
| 2011 | Didcot Town | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:38, 20 January 2008 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12:47, 23 May 2006 (UTC) | |||
Adrian Williams (born 16 August 1971) is a former Wales internationalfootballer and formerDidcot Town manager. He now presents the sports coverage onBBC Radio Berkshire.
Born inReading, Williams started his career withReading, making his first appearance in the1991–92 season. This first spell at Reading saw him established as a firm fan favourite. His talent and youth saw him play in every position for The Royals, from centre-forward to emergency goalkeeper, wearing every shirt number from 1–11, plus both substitute numbers 12 and 14, in the process. He was a regular in the side that missed out on promotion to thePremier League, eventually losing toBolton Wanderers in the1994–95 First Division play-off final atWembley. Williams had scored the second goal in that game, giving them a 2–0 lead in the first half, before two late goals saw Bolton draw level and force extra time, going on to win the game 4–3 and seal a place in the Premier League – a level at which Williams would ultimately never play.[1]
In 1996, he was signed byWolverhampton Wanderers, where he remained until the1999–2000 season. His time atMolineux was largely interrupted by injury; he made just 36 appearances in over three seasons.
He returned to Reading during the 1999–2000 season and played a crucial part in their rejuvenation underAlan Pardew and their promotion back to the First Division in2001–02. In a vote to compile the Royals' best-ever eleven, Williams was voted the best centre-back with 59.9% of the vote.[2][3]
Despite being a firm favourite at theMadejski Stadium he chose to move toChampionship rivalsCoventry City on a free transfer in Autumn 2004, having been refused the contract he wanted with Reading. Signed byPeter Reid to replaceCalum Davenport andMuhamed Konjić, Williams went on to make 23 appearances in League and Cup, scoring goals in a 2–1 win atMillmoor againstRotherham United, and a 2–1 home defeat byQueens Park Rangers.
He started the2005–06 season out of the Sky Blues side and joined strugglingMillwall on loan for three months. Following the end of this loan spell, Williams returned to the Coventry side for the home game against his old club Wolves on 2 January 2006, playing a key defensive role in a 2–0 home win. This performance, and other similar performances put him right back in the first team picture at theRicoh Arena.
Williams joinedSwindon Town in the summer of 2006, and following the resignation ofDave Tuttle as caretaker manager, Williams briefly held that position himself until the appointment ofPaul Sturrock on 7 November 2006.On 3 May 2008, he decided that the game against Millwall would be his last, ending his 19-year career span, although ultimately he was not selected on the day.[4]
Williams joinedWeston-super-Mare in June 2009.[5]
Williams was born in Reading but qualified to play for Wales through his father. He made seven international appearances during his first spell with Reading, including one at home toMoldova in 1995 alongside fellow Reading playerLee Nogan. Five more caps followed whilst atWolverhampton Wanderers, including scoring his first international goal during a 2–1 win overDenmark,[6][7] and in November 2002 he received his first international call-up for three years when he was selected for a squad to take onAzerbaijan.[8] On 26 May 2003 Williams played the full 90 minutes as Wales lost 2–0 against theUSA in an international friendly at theSpartan Stadium inSan Jose, California, his first international start for four years.[9] He was an unused substitute for several matches including an away defeat toItaly in theSan Siro, while he missed the play-off withRussia through injury.
On 23 March 2010, Williams accepted his first managerial post as boss of Southern League Premier strugglersBedford Town. Whilst he initially improved their form enabling them to stave off relegation, they made a poor start to the 2010/11 season struggling in the relegation places and making early exits from the FA Cup and FA Trophy. Following the away FA Trophy defeat toHarlow Town on 16 October 2010, Williams resigned from his position.
On 29 January 2011, he took charge of the Southern League Premier Division sideDidcot Town. Williams was replaced however in the summer of 2011 by Francis Vines.
Individual
