| view Williams's match-by-match record |
| Jonny WILLIAMS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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For a League Two side under a transfer embargo, with new ownership and still amongst the favourites to be relegated out of the Football League to sign an active Welsh international footballer recently released by championship Cardiff seemed firmly from the realms of Football Manager, rather than reality. However, that was the scenario that led to Williams becoming one of the final summer signings of 2021. The club’s official statement described the signing as a huge statement of intent, and it was certainly enough to rouse much of the club’s fanbase into posting pictures of hubristically named naval vessels on Twitter. Of course, there were reasons why a player as outrageously talented as Williams was dropping down the leagues: his injury record and general fitness was less than ideal, meaning it was fourteen games in a Town shirt before he played a full game, a feat he only accomplished six times over the whole season. At times it looked like Williams and Ben Gladwin were operating as a timeshare footballer, so often did one replace the other around the hour mark. To focus on his substitution record does a disservice to the impact Williams had on most games he participated in though, and this careful management allowed him to manage 45 games over the season. Whether deployed as an impact substitute raising the occasionally ponderous tempo of Ben Garner’s side, or from the start as a midfield playmaker, Williams often looked a class apart from League Two. In particular, his ability to draw fouls from the opposition and unpick a deep defence stood out. He also showed an eye for a spectacular goal, with three of his five goals included in the club’s goal of the season shortlist: a long range effort against Sutton United, a headed finish against Hartlepool and finishing off a long, patient passing move away at Port Vale. It says something for the technical level of the players around him - Louis Reed, Jack Payne and Harry McKirdy in particular, that Williams was not always a standout. His contributions were often telling though, and he became a firm favourite with Town fans - and a pantomime villain with fans of other clubs. PLAYING RECORD:
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date of birth
usual positions attacking centre midfield youth career senior career |
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WALES
