Jay Williams (footballer)

Jay Williams

Williams in March 2019
Personal information
Full name	Jay Williams [1]
Date of birth	(2000-10-04) 4 October 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth	Northampton, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [2]
Position(s)	Centre-back,Defensive Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Milton Keynes Dons
Number	42
Youth career
2013–2018	Northampton Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2020	Northampton Town	10	(0)
2020	Kettering Town	12	(0)
2021	Harrogate Town	7	(1)
2021	AFC Rushden & Diamonds	7	(0)
2021–2023	Banbury United	63	(8)
2023	Brackley Town	0	(0)
2023–2025	Crawley Town	52	(1)
2025–	Milton Keynes Dons	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:05, 9 January 2025 (UTC)

Jay Williams (born 4 October 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and defensive midfielder for EFL League Two club Milton Keynes Dons.

Club career

Williams joined Northampton Town at the age of 13. ^[3] He made his first-team debut in their EFL Trophy tie against Wycombe Wanderers, featuring for the entire 90 minutes. ^[4]

He made his league debut in a 5–0 away win to Macclesfield Town ^[5] coming off of the bench to replace Sam Foley in the 73rd minute. He went on to play a vital part in the rest of that season racking up 14 appearances in total.

In November 2020, Williams signed for National League North club Kettering Town. ^[6]

On 7 January 2021, Williams signed for League Two side Harrogate Town. ^[7]

Following on from his release from Harrogate, he dropped down three divisions to sign for Southern Football League Premier Division Central side AFC Rushden & Diamonds. ^[8] He made the switch to divisional rivals Banbury United in October 2021 and extended his stay in December when he signed a contract until the end of the season. ^[8] He was part of the team that were crowned champions in the 2021–22 season. ^[9]

In June 2023, Williams signed for National League North rivals Brackley Town. ^[10] On 18 July 2023 however, he signed for League Two club Crawley Town on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee. ^[11]

On 27 August 2024, Williams injured Brighton midfielder Matt O'Riley with a tackle described in the media as "awful" and a "horror tackle". ^{[12] [13]} The Crawley manager Scott Lindsey apologised for Williams's challenge in the post-match press conference. ^[13]

On 9 January 2025, Williams signed for League Two club Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee, the move reuniting him with former Crawley Town manager Scott Lindsey, in addition to former teammates Liam Kelly and Laurence Maguire. ^[14]

International career

Born in England, Williams is of Kittitian descent. In March 2024, he was called up to the Saint Kitts and Nevis national team for a set of friendlies. ^[15]

Career statistics

As of 9 January 2025

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
Northampton Town	2018–19 [16]	League Two	10	0	0	0	0	0	4 [a]	0	14	0
	2019–20 [17]	League Two	0	0	0	0	1	0	2 [a]	0	3	0
	Total		10	0	0	0	1	0	6	0	17	0
Harrogate Town	2020–21	League Two	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	1
Banbury United	2022–23	National League North	35	3	0	0	0	0	2 [b]	1	37	4
Crawley Town	2023–24 [18]	League Two	40	1	0	0	0	0	5	2	44	3
	2024–25 [19]	League One	12	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	13	0
	Total		52	1	0	0	1	0	5	2	57	3
Milton Keynes Dons	2024–25 [19]	League Two	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			104	5	0	0	2	0	13	3	119	8

Honours

Harrogate Town

• FA Trophy: 2019–20 ^[20]

Crawley Town

• EFL League Two play-offs: 2024 ^[21]

Notes

1. Appearances in EFL Trophy
2. Appearances in FA Trophy

References

1. "CLUB LIST OF REGISTERED PLAYERS" (PDF). EFL. 19 May 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
2. "Jay Williams - Defender - First Team - Crawley Town". www.crawleytownfc.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
3. "Jay Williams - Defender". Northampton Town. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
4. "Northampton Town vs. Wycombe Wanderers". Soccerway. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
5. "Macclesfield Town 0-5 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 23 October 2018. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
6. "Jay Williams". Kettering Town FC. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
7. "Promising defender Williams arrives at Town". Harrogate Town FC. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
8. "JACK STEVENS AND JAY WILLIAMS PUT PEN TO PAPER". Banbury United FC. 24 December 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
9. "It's Championship Success For Banbury!". southern-football-league.co.uk. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
10. "NEW SIGNING: JAY WILLIAMS SIGNS FOR BRACKLEY TOWN". www.brackleytownfc.com. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
11. "JAY WILLIAMS JOINS CRAWLEY". www.crawleytownfc.com. 18 July 2023. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
12. "Fabian Hurzeler fumes at Jay Williams foul that left Matt O'Riley injured". Sky Sports. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
13. "I winced when I saw Jay Williams' horror tackle on Matt O'Riley, but it was refreshing to see the Crawley Town boss apologise". Sussex World. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
14. "DonDeal: Jay Williams joins MK Dons". www.mkdons.com. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
15. "'Very proud moment' - Crawley Town star earns first International call-up". Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
16. "Games played by Jay Williams in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
17. "Games played by Jay Williams in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
18. "Games played by Jay Williams in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
19. "Games played by Jay Williams in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
20. Law, James (3 May 2021). "FA Trophy final 2019-20: Concord Rangers 0–1 Harrogate Town". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
21. "Crawley Town 2–0 Crewe Alexandra: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.

External links

• Profile at Aylesbury United
• Jay Williams at Soccerbase.com