| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alvan Williams[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1932-11-21)21 November 1932 | ||
| Place of birth | Beaumaris, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 22 December 2003(2003-12-22) (aged 71)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Bala, Wales | ||
| Position | Centre Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1955–1956 | Bury | 2 | (1) |
| 1956–1957 | Wrexham | 13 | (7) |
| 1957–1960 | Bradford Park Avenue | 92 | (21) |
| 1960–1961 | Exeter City | 19 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1964–1965 | Hartlepools United | ||
| 1965–1967 | Southend United | ||
| 1967–1968 | Wrexham | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alvan Williams (21 November 1932 – 22 December 2003) was aWelsh former professional footballer and manager. During his career, he made over 100 appearances inThe Football League,[3] later going on to manageHartlepools United,Southend United andWrexham.
Alvan Williams began his career withBury, making two league appearances for the club before moving toDivision Three North sideWrexham in 1956. He made his debut for theDragons in aCross-border derby match withChester City on 18 August 1956 but went on to appear just 15 more times in all competitions before leaving.[2] After spending three years withBradford Park Avenue, injury forced him to retire in 1961 at the age of 28, while playing forExeter City.He played part time for Bangor City and won the Welsh Cup in 1961/2, and played in the 1st round of the European Cup against Napoli, the team was beaten.
After a spell as assistant manager atBangor City, Williams was appointed manager ofDivision Four sideHartlepool United in February 1964. He remained with the club until May 1965. He nearly returned to the club in 1966 but, after failing to agree terms, the club instead handedBrian Clough his first job as manager.[4]
In June 1965 he became manager ofSouthend United and would later break the club's transfer record by signingEddie Firmani fromCharlton Athletic for £10,000. However, he later became the first manager in the club's history to suffer relegation in the Football League after finishing 21st in theThird Division and Firmani returned to Charlton two years later for just £2,000.[5] Known as a tough manager, Williams once refused to allow DefenderEddie May to come off after suffering a broken nose during a match in October 1966. May was walking off the pitch when Williams ordered him to turn around and continue playing for the final 33 minutes of the match. The club's physio instead strapped a sponge onto his nose in a bid to protect it from further damage and May returned to the game. Williams later stated in an interview:No one in my team is going to go off with a broken nose.[6] He left theshrimpers in 1967.
Brought in as a replacement forJack Rowley, Williams took several of his Southend staff with him to theRacecourse Ground including first-team coachJohn Neal and playersSteve Ingle,Ray Smith andEddie May who was appointed as his Captain at the North Wales club.[2][7] Williams was often known as a no nonsense manager and, already incensed following a tackle onTerry Oldfield that had resulted in a broken leg, once threw his team's runners-up medals from the 1967 Welsh Cup Final away after losing a two-legged final toCardiff City.[8] During his time with the club, he was instrumental in setting up youth facilities at the club that lead to several players progressing through the club's ranks during the 1970s.[9] However, he was forced to resign as Wrexham manager after falling out with the club's board.
After retiring from football he ran a number of pubs and clubs from Blackpool to London. In the 1970s he was involved in an unsavoury incident in his London bar which led to a student's death. He was initially charged with murder, and his trial went to the Old Bailey. However, due to lack of evidence the charge was reduced to affray, and he was released on bail. Later, Williams ran the Ship Inn in Bala with wife Elizabeth, and other pubs in the north Wales area.[10] Williams will also be well known for his ability to spot young talented footballers. The Football Association of Wales awarded him a special merit award for his contribution to the game shortly before his death in December 2003.
| Team | Country | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Hartlepools United |  | February 1964 | May 1965 | 68 | 21 | 18 | 29 | 30.88 | |
| Southend United | | June 1965 | March 1967 | 93 | 39 | 13 | 41 | 41.94 | |
| Wrexham |  | April 1967 | September 1968 | 64 | 26 | 19 | 19 | 40.63 | |
| Total | 225 | 86 | 50 | 89 | 38.22 | ||||