Donald Roland "Roley" Williams (10 July 1927 – 30 June 1999) was a former
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
professional footballer.
Williams was playing Welsh league football for
Milford United when he was spotted by
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 ...
manager
Cyril Spiers
Cyril Henry Spiers (4 April 1902 – 21 May 1967) was an English association football Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper who played for Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wandere ...
. A number of clubs were interested at the time, including his home town club
Swansea Town, but he signed a contract with Cardiff in February 1949. Despite suffering numerous small injuries during his seven years at the club, he quickly became a regular in the side providing numerous chances for the club's prolific striker
Wilf Grant
Wilfred Grant (3 August 1920 – 17 July 1990) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Southampton, Cardiff City and Ipswich Town.
Playing career
Early career
Grant was born in Bedlington and as a youth played for ...
to score 26 goals during the 1951–52 season. His injuries meant he never played a full season for the club and in 1956 he was allowed to leave and join
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
. His spell at the club was brief and he moved into non-league football with
Bath City
Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club have ...
and
Lovells Athletic
Lovell's Athletic F.C. was the works team for Lovell's sweet factory in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, which played professional football from 1918 until 1969.
History
Lovell's joined the Western Football League in 1923 and won the title in t ...
before retiring.
References
1927 births
Footballers from Swansea
Welsh men's footballers
Cardiff City F.C. players
Northampton Town F.C. players
English Football League players
1999 deaths
Lovell's Athletic F.C. players
Men's association football forwards
Milford United F.C. players
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