Alvan Williams
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Alvan Williams (21 November 1932 – 22 December 2003) was a Welsh former professional footballer and manager. During his career, he made over 100 appearances in
The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
, later going on to manage Hartlepools United,
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
and
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
.


Playing career

Alvan Williams began his career with Bury, making two league appearances for the club before moving to
Division Three North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...
side
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
in 1956. He made his debut for the ''Dragons'' in a
Cross-border derby The cross-border derby is a football match played between Wrexham and Chester. The clubs are 12 miles apart but are Welsh and English respectively (though Chester's Deva Stadium straddles the England–Wales border, and its pitch lies entire ...
match with Chester City on 18 August 1956 but went on to appear just 15 more times in all competitions before leaving. After spending three years with Bradford Park Avenue, injury forced him to retire in 1961 at the age of 28, while playing for
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
.He played part time for Bangor City and won the Welsh Cup in 1961/2, and played in the 1st round of the European Cup against Napoli, the team was beaten.


Managerial career

After a spell as assistant manager at Bangor City, Williams was appointed manager of
Division Four The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...
side
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded i ...
in February 1964. He remained with the club until May 1965. He nearly returned to the club in 1966 but, after failing to agree terms, the club instead handed
Brian Clough Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Engl ...
his first job as manager. In June 1965 he became manager of
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
and would later break the club's transfer record by signing
Eddie Firmani Edwin Ronald "Eddie" Firmani (; born 7 August 1933) is a former professional football player and manager. A former forward, he spent most of his career in Italy and England. Born in South Africa, he represented the Italy national team internat ...
from
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
for £10,000. However, he later became the first manager in the club's history to suffer relegation in the Football League after finishing 21st in the Third Division and Firmani returned to Charlton two years later for just £2,000. Known as a tough manager, Williams once refused to allow Defender
Eddie May Edwin Charles May (19 May 1943 – 14 April 2012) was an English football player and manager. May was born in Epping, and played for Dagenham, Southend United, Wrexham and Swansea City. The burly, affable May loomed large in the modern hist ...
to come off after suffering a broken nose during a match in October 1966. May was walking off the pitch when Williams ordered him to turn around and continue playing for the final 33 minutes of the match. The club's physio instead strapped a sponge onto his nose in a bid to protect it from further damage and May returned to the game. Williams later stated in an interview: ''No one in my team is going to go off with a broken nose''. He left the ''shrimpers'' in 1967. Brought in as a replacement for
Jack Rowley John Frederick Rowley (7 October 1918 – 28 June 1998) was an English footballer who played as a forward from the 1930s to the 1950s, mainly remembered for a 17-year spell with Manchester United. He was nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his pr ...
, Williams took several of his Southend staff with him to the
Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground ( cy, Y Cae Ras) is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C. It is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having hosted Wales' first home ...
including first-team coach John Neal and players Steve Ingle, Ray Smith and
Eddie May Edwin Charles May (19 May 1943 – 14 April 2012) was an English football player and manager. May was born in Epping, and played for Dagenham, Southend United, Wrexham and Swansea City. The burly, affable May loomed large in the modern hist ...
who was appointed as his Captain at the North Wales club. Williams was often known as a no nonsense manager and, already incensed following a tackle on
Terry Oldfield Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albritton (1955–2005), A ...
that had resulted in a broken leg, once threw his team's runners-up medals from the 1967 Welsh Cup Final away after losing a two-legged final to Cardiff City. During his time with the club, he was instrumental in setting up youth facilities at the club that lead to several players progressing through the club's ranks during the 1970s. However, he was forced to resign as Wrexham manager after falling out with the club's board.


After football

After retiring from football he ran a number of pubs and clubs from Blackpool to London. In the 1970s he was involved in an unsavoury incident in his London bar which led to a student's death. He was initially charged murder, and his trial went to the Old Bailey. However, due to lack of evidence the charge was reduced to affray, and he was released on bail. Later, Williams ran the Ship Inn in Bala with wife Elizabeth, and other pubs in the north Wales area. Williams will also be well known for his ability to spot young talented footballers. The Football Association of Wales awarded him a special merit award for his contribution to the game shortly before his death in December 2003.


Managerial statistics


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Alvan 1932 births 2003 deaths People from Beaumaris Sportspeople from Anglesey Welsh men's footballers Bury F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. players Exeter City F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. managers Wrexham A.F.C. managers Southend United F.C. managers Welsh football managers Men's association football forwards People from Bala, Gwynedd