Andrew Williams (born 29 July 1962) is an English former footballer, who played for 278 league games in an eleven-year professional career in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

. He turned out for Coventry City, Rotherham United, Leeds United, Port Vale, Notts County, Huddersfield Town, Hull City and Scarborough. He also played for non-League sides Dudley Town, Solihull Borough, Guiseley, Gainsborough Trinity, and Matlock Town. He was named in the

PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...

for the

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

in 1987–88, and helped Leeds to the Second Division title in 1989–90.

Career

Williams started in non-League with Dudley Town and Solihull Borough, before he was signed by First Division side Coventry City on 24 July 1985 for a fee of £20,000, at the age of 23. He played ten games for the club, before he was allowed to sign with Rotherham United of the

in October 1986. The "Millers" were relegated at the end of the 1987–88 season after losing to

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

at the semi-final stage of the

Fourth Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

play-offs. Despite this, Williams was still chosen in the

for his strong performances throughout the season. His performances also won him a £175,000 move to Leeds United in November 1988, then a Second Division side. He went on to make nineteen appearances in 1988–89, eleven of which were as a substitute. He was the first signing of manager Howard Wilkinson. Leeds won promotion back to the top flight after topping the Second Division table at the end of the 1989–90 season; Williams made thirteen league starts, scoring two goals (against Watford and

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

). His first-team appearances were limited by a groin injury. After spending five months out with his groin problem, he then suffered a fractured cheekbone after teammate Vinnie Jones accidentally hit him in the face with a

cricket bat A cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batters in the sport of cricket to hit the ball, typically consisting of a cane handle attached to a flat-fronted willow-wood blade. It may also be used by a batter who is making ground ...

. United then went on to power to a fourth-place finish in the top-flight in 1990–91, with Williams making five starts and seven substitute appearances. Restricted to the odd appearance by the form of the Leeds midfield, in December 1991 he was loaned out to Second Division side Port Vale. He played five games for the "Valiants", who would finish the season in last place; in contrast Williams returned to

Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...

, where manager Howard Wilkinson was in the process of bringing Leeds the First Division title. Williams would be gone before the end of the season, however. In February 1992, he was sold on to Notts County for a £115,000 fee. County were struggling in the First Division and lost their top-flight status at the end of the 1991–92 season. After a mid-table finish in

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...

, County loaned Williams out to Second Division Huddersfield Town at the start of the 1993–94 campaign. He played six games for the "Terriers" before he was allowed to re-sign with former club Rotherham United in October 1993. He struggled with a knee injury, and at the end of the 1994–95 season, he moved on to league rivals Hull City – who had tried to sign him in 1988 but lost out to Leeds. Hull finished bottom of the league in 1995–96, and so were relegated to the Third Division. Williams left Hull but remained in the fourth tier, signing non- contract terms with Scarborough. He made his debut in a goalless home draw with

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

on 17 August and also played in a League Cup draw at former club Hull three days later. This was to be his last professional game, though he did later turn out for non-League clubs Guiseley, Gainsborough Trinity, and Matlock Town.

Style of play

The Rotherham United website states that Williams was a "tall midfielder with a deceptive turn of speed."

Post-retirement

Williams now works as a performance manager for a company attached to Rotherham Council. He also plays Masters Football. He is a West Bromwich Albion supporter.

Career statistics

Source:

Honours

Leeds United * Football League Second Division: 1989–90 Individual *

: 1987–88 Third Division

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Andy 1962 births Living people English men's footballers Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands Men's association football midfielders Dudley Town F.C. players Solihull Borough F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Rotherham United F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Hull City A.F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players Guiseley A.F.C. players Gainsborough Trinity F.C. players Matlock Town F.C. players Southern Football League players English Football League players Northern Premier League players