Ryan Williams (footballer, born 1978)

Ryan Neil Williams (born 31 August 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Ryan Williams
Personal information
Full name Ryan Neil Williams[1]
Date of birth (1978-08-31) 31 August 1978[1]
Place of birth Sutton-in-Ashfield, England
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Mansfield Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1997 Mansfield Town 26 (3)
1997–1999 Tranmere Rovers 5 (0)
1999–2001 Chesterfield 74 (13)
2001–2003 Hull City 52 (2)
2003–2006 Bristol Rovers 43 (4)
2004–2005 → Forest Green Rovers (loan) 6 (1)
2005–2006 → Aldershot Town (loan) 25 (7)
2006–2008 Aldershot Town 47 (9)
2008–2009 Weymouth 31 (2)
2009–2011 Mansfield Town 41 (3)
2010 → Gainsborough Trinity (loan) 6 (0)
2011–2012 Gainsborough Trinity 68 (9)
2012–2013 North Ferriby United1 33 (8)
2013 Gainsborough Trinity 0 (0)
2013–2014 Scarborough Athletic
2014– AFC Mansfield
2018–2019 East Yorkshire Carnegie
2019–2020 Hall Road Rangers
International career
1996 England U18 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:52, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

He notably played in the Football League with lengthy spells at Chesterfield, Hull City and Bristol Rovers, having also appeared professionally for Mansfield Town, Tranmere Rovers and Aldershot Town. He also played Non-League football for Forest Green Rovers, Weymouth, Gainsborough Trinity, North Ferriby United, Scarborough Athletic, AFC Mansfield, East Yorkshire Carnegie and Hall Road Rangers.

Career

Williams started his career with a local club, Mansfield Town before moving to Tranmere Rovers, Chesterfield, Hull City and then onto Bristol Rovers.

After playing for three seasons in League Two, he joined Aldershot Town on a month's loan in September 2005 when Ian Atkins was manager at Bristol Rovers. After Atkins departed the club, Williams briefly returned to Rovers before leaving the club in December 2005 and joining the Shots on a contract that ran until the end of the 2007–08 season. In a pre-season friendly against Crystal Palace in July 2007, Williams tore his anterior cruciate ligament. He was only able to play one game in the 2007–08 season, as Aldershot won the Conference with a record points total. Following their promotion, Williams left by mutual agreement.[2]

On 6 May 2008, Williams joined another Conference club, Weymouth, signing a one-year contract. In 2009, he joined Mansfield Town.[3]

Following a loan spell with Conference North side Gainsborough Trinity in December 2010, he joined the club on a permanent basis in January 2011. In September 2012 he joined North Ferriby United.[4] Williams and Ferriby secured promotion to the Conference North at the end of the 2012–13 season, and on 26 May 2013 he announced he had re-signed for Trinity.

After starting several games and assisting on the coaching staff, Williams moved to Scarborough Athletic in September 2013 after work commitments meant he couldn't continue playing at Conference North level.[5]

Williams stayed with the Seadogs until December 2014, when he completed a move to AFC Mansfield, joining former boss Rudy Funk and returning to the town where he began his career.[6]

Notes
  1. ^ Soccerbase incorrectly credits Williams with the stats of Morecambe player Ryan Williams. Therefore, until and unless the correct it, editors should ignore the Morecambe appearances and goals added to this players Soccerbase page.

References
  1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 455. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
  2. Aldershot bid farewell to quartet BBC Sport, 30 April 2008
  3. Terras sign Aldershot's Williams BBC Sport, 6 May 2008
  4. Popular Ryan Williams bids fond farewell to Gainsborough Trinity Archived 16 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine Lincolnshire Echo, 13 September 2013
  5. Ryan Williams confident Gainsborough Trinity can return to winning ways Lincolnshire Echo, 12 September 2013
  6. Busy weekend as Bulls welcome Taylor and Williams The Chad, 22 December 2014
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