Andy Williams (footballer, born 1986)

Andy Williams

Personal information
Full name	Andrew David Williams [1]
Date of birth	(1986-08-14) 14 August 1986 (age 37) [2]
Place of birth	Hereford, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [2]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Hereford
Number	10
Youth career
2002–2004	Hereford United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2007	Hereford United	72	(18)
2007–2010	Bristol Rovers	88	(8)
2008–2009	→ Hereford United (loan)	16	(1)
2009	→ Hereford United (loan)	10	(1)
2010–2012	Yeovil Town	72	(22)
2012–2015	Swindon Town	89	(32)
2013–2014	→ Yeovil Town (loan)	9	(0)
2015–2018	Doncaster Rovers	92	(23)
2018–2020	Northampton Town	71	(20)
2020–2022	Cheltenham Town	68	(12)
2022–2023	Walsall	38	(1)
2023–	Hereford	22	(11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:20, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

Andrew David Williams (born 14 August 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for National League North club Hereford.

Club career

Hereford United

Williams was born in Hereford and attended the nearby football academy at Holme Lacy, playing for the Hereford United youth team. He also gained experience by attending football academies at Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Aston Villa and Birmingham City.

Williams made his debut for the Hereford United first team in the 2003–04 season, coming on as a substitute in the Herefordshire Senior Cup final against Forest Green. The following season, he featured regularly on the bench and made three league appearances as a substitute. He also started the two GLS Conference Cup games against Burton and Northwich.

2005–06 was his breakthrough season. His appearances for the first team were initially from the bench but he was given his first start in the league against Woking, scoring the opening goal. He progressed rapidly and went on to become the club's top scorer for the season, scoring 13 goals from 45 appearances in all competitions. Most notably he scored two vital goals in the playoff semi-final against Morecambe, and in the final itself against Halifax. He signed a new contract with the club in March 2006.

His first season in the Football League saw him played out of position on the right wing for the majority of the season resulting in 48 first team appearances, with only Rob Purdie and Alan Connell making more appearances. Williams' eight goals also made him third highest goalscorer, and he was awarded the Away Goal of the Season for his goal against Bury.

Williams was the subject of two transfer bids from Bristol Rovers during the course of the season. At the end of August a £100,000 bid was rejected by Hereford, but at the end of January a £150,000 bid was accepted. However Williams turned down a move to the Gasheads, having already stated he was happy at Hereford and was not interested in moving to a club in the same division. When Bristol Rovers gained promotion to League One, speculation intensified that he would make the move, and on 5 July 2007 the transfer was finally confirmed.

Bristol Rovers

Williams made his debut for Bristol Rovers on 11 August 2007, scoring four minutes after appearing as a substitute for Rickie Lambert. ^[3]

On 1 September 2008, Williams rejoined former club Hereford United on loan until 5 January 2009. An injury hampered his return to Edgar Street but he scored his first goal in the win over Carlisle United on 21 October. On expiry of his loan he returned to Bristol Rovers, but just 24 hours later he was loaned back to Hereford for the remainder of the season. ^[4]

He was placed on the transfer list at the end of the 2008–09 season, but after some competitive performances from the bench he was removed from the list early on during the start of the 2009–10 season. On 29 September 2009, in an away 3–2 victory against Southampton, he scored a left-footed shot from the edge of the area, this goal was later nominated for Goal of the Year 2009. ^[5]

Yeovil Town

In May 2010, Williams rejected a new deal with Bristol Rovers and signed a two-year contract with fellow League One side and local rivals Yeovil Town, he linked up with them on 1 July 2010. ^[6] On 7 August 2010, Williams made his debut for Yeovil against Leyton Orient, ^[7] and scored his first goal for the club against Rushden & Diamonds in the FA Cup, and scored his first league goal in a 3–1 defeat against Dagenham & Redbridge the following week. ^[8] Williams first season with Yeovil saw him score eight goals in 39 matches mostly operating from the wing.

He started the new season well with a goal in a 3–1 win at home to Oldham Athletic before being out injured for over a month. However, once he had returned from injury he scored again, this time in a 3–0 win away at Hereford United in the FA Cup. ^[9] Williams ended the campaign as Yeovil's top scorer with 17 goals in all competitions but rejected a new contract to remain at the club. ^[10]

Swindon Town

Having rejected Yeovil's offer of a new contract, on 18 June 2012, it was confirmed Williams had signed for newly promoted League One side Swindon Town on a two-year contract. ^[11]

Return to Yeovil on loan

On 23 August 2013, Williams rejoined Yeovil Town on a season long loan deal, only 14 months after previously leaving for Swindon Town. ^[12] Williams made his second debut for Yeovil as a second-half substitute against Derby County, on 24 August 2013. ^[13] Williams made a total of nine appearances without scoring before picking up serious cruciate injury in training ruling him out for the rest of the season. ^[14] Despite being ruled out with injury for the rest of the season, due to the loan agreement with Swindon Town, Williams remained officially on loan at Yeovil for the remainder of the season, with Yeovil still having to pay a portion of his wages. ^[15]

Doncaster Rovers

On 19 June 2015, Williams signed for Doncaster Rovers on a three-year deal, despite interest from several other clubs including Bradford City, Scunthorpe United, Sheffield United and Millwall. ^[16] On 27 August he scored his first professional hat-trick in a 4–1 win over former club Yeovil Town. He was released by Doncaster in May 2018.

Cheltenham Town

In July 2020, he signed for Cheltenham Town, on a one-year deal. ^[17] Following Cheltenham's title-winning campaign, Williams triggered a clause to sign a new one-year deal with the club. ^[18] On 6 May 2022, Williams was released by the club after not being offered a further contract. ^[19]

Walsall

On 15 June 2022, Williams agreed to join Walsall on a one-year contract, active from 1 July when his Cheltenham contract expires. ^[20]

Return to Hereford

On 6 June 2023, Williams agreed to drop down two leagues and enter part-time football by joining National League North club Hereford from 1 July, when his Walsall contract expired. ^{[21] [22]} Born in Hereford, Williams' career had begun at Hereford's predecessor club Hereford United 18 years previously. Williams suffered a knee injury in pre-season that required surgery and caused him to miss the first five months of the season. ^[23] He made his debut for the club on 23 December 2023, coming on as a 73rd minute substitute for Tom Pugh in a 2–1 home league win against Spennymoor Town. ^[24] He scored his first goals for the club three days later, including a 99th minute winner, in a 3–2 win away at local rivals Gloucester City. ^[25]

Career statistics

As of end of 2023–24 season

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hereford United	2004–05 [26]	Conference National	1	0	0	0	—		0	0	1	0
	2005–06 [27]	Conference National	30	10	2	0	—		9 [lower-alpha 1]	3	41	13
	2006–07 [28]	League Two	41	8	4	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	1	48	9
	Total		72	18	6	0	2	0	10	4	90	22
Bristol Rovers	2007–08 [29]	League One	41	4	8	1	2	1	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	52	6
	2008–09 [30]	League One	4	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	1
	2009–10 [31]	League One	43	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	45	3
	Total		88	8	9	1	4	1	1	0	102	10
Hereford United (loan)	2008–09 [30]	League One	26	2	2	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	29	2
Yeovil Town	2010–11 [32]	League One	37	6	2	2	1	0	0	0	40	8
	2011–12 [33]	League One	35	16	3	1	1	0	0	0	39	17
	Total		72	22	5	3	2	0	0	0	79	25
Swindon Town	2012–13 [34]	League One	40	11	1	0	4	1	3 [lower-alpha 3]	0	48	12
	2013–14 [35]	League One	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	4	1
	2014–15 [36]	League One	46	21	1	0	2	0	4 [lower-alpha 4]	1	53	22
	Total		89	32	2	0	7	2	7	1	105	35
Yeovil Town (loan)	2013–14 [35]	Championship	9	0	0	0	0	0	—		9	0
Doncaster Rovers	2015–16 [37]	League One	46	12	3	2	2	2	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	53	16
	2016–17 [38]	League Two	37	11	0	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 5]	1	40	12
	2017–18 [39]	League One	9	0	0	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 5]	1	13	1
	Total		92	23	3	2	4	2	7	2	106	29
Northampton Town	2018–19 [40]	League Two	39	12	1	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 5]	0	44	12
	2019–20 [41]	League Two	32	8	4	0	1	0	4 [lower-alpha 6]	1	41	9
	Total		71	20	5	0	1	0	8	1	85	21
Cheltenham Town	2020–21 [42]	League Two	45	8	4	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 5]	0	51	8
	2021–22 [43]	League One	23	4	1	1	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 5]	0	27	5
	Total		68	12	5	1	2	0	3	0	78	13
Walsall	2022–23 [44]	League Two	38	1	4	2	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 5]	0	46	3
Hereford	2023–24 [45]	National League North	22	11	0	0	—		1 [lower-alpha 7]	0	23	11
Career total			647	149	41	9	23	5	41	8	752	171

1. Three appearances in Football League Trophy, three appearances and one goal in FA Trophy, three appearances and two goals in Football Conference play-offs
2. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
3. Two appearances in League One play-offs, one appearance in Football League Trophy
4. Two appearances in League One play-offs, two appearances and one goal in Football League Trophy
5. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
6. Two appearances in EFL Trophy, two appearances and one goal in League Two play-offs
7. Appearance in FA Trophy

Honours

Hereford United

• Conference National play-offs: 2006

Doncaster Rovers

• EFL League Two third-place promotion: 2016–17 ^[46]

Northampton Town

• EFL League Two play-offs: 2020 ^[47]

Cheltenham Town

• EFL League Two: 2020–21 ^[48]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Cheltenham Town" (PDF). English Football League. p. 20. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84596-474-0.
3. "Port Vale 1–1 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 11 August 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
4. "Williams back to the Bulls". Bristol Rovers F.C. 6 January 2009. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
5. "Chairman's Report Week 2". Bristol Rovers F.C. 24 September 2009. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
6. "Andy Williams eyes regular games at Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. 24 May 2010.
7. "Yeovil Town 2–1 Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. 7 August 2010.
8. "Yeovil 1–3 Dag & Red". BBC Sport. 13 November 2010.
9. http://www.ytfc.net/page/MatchReport/0,,10673~57857,00.html ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
10. "Yeovil Town to lose four players after failing to agree deals". BBC Sport. 14 May 2012.
11. "Swindon Town sign Gary Roberts, Andy Williams and James Collins". BBC Sport. 18 June 2012.
12. "Andy Williams: Yeovil re-sign Swindon striker on loan". BBC Sport. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
13. "Yeovil 0–3 Derby". BBC Sport. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
14. "Andy Williams: Yeovil loanee returns to Swindon with injury". BBC Sport. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
15. "Yeovil to contribute to injured Williams' wages". Swindon Advertiser. 7 November 2013. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
16. "Breaking: Doncaster Rovers sign former Swindon Town striker Andy Williams – The Star". Archived from the original on 19 June 2015.
17. "Robins seal the signing of experienced striker".
18. "Former Bristol Rovers, Swindon Town and Doncaster Rovers striker Andy Williams secures extended contract at Cheltenham Town". Gloucestershire Live. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
19. "2021/22 retained and released list". Cheltenham Town FC. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
20. "Saddlers snap up striker Andy Williams". saddlers.co.uk. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
21. "Andy Williams is Back at Edgar Street". herefordfc.co.uk/. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
22. "Hereford was only club Williams could turn part-time for". Hereford Times. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
23. "Andy Williams Injury Update | Hereford FC - The Official website of Hereford FC". www.herefordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
24. Lawrence, David (23 December 2023). "Hereford FC v Spennymoor Town LIVE minute by minute updates". Hereford Times . Retrieved 25 December 2023.
25. Lawrence, David (26 December 2023). "Hereford boss praised character of hometown boy Williams". Hereford Times . Retrieved 21 February 2024.
26. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
27. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
28. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
29. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
30. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
31. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
32. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
33. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
34. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
35. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
36. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
37. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
38. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
39. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
40. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
41. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
42. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
43. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
44. "Games played by Andy Williams in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
45. Andy Williams at Soccerway. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
46. "League Two (Sky Sports)".
47. Pilnick, Brent (29 June 2020). "Exeter City 0–4 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
48. "Cheltenham 4–1 Harrogate: Michael Duff's Robins clinch League Two title in style".

External links

• Profile at Hereford
• Andy Williams at FBref.com
• Andy Williams at FootballDatabase.eu
• Andy Williams at Soccerbase
• Andy Williams at Soccerway
• Andy Williams at WorldFootball.net