Mark Williams (footballer, born 1970)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Stuart Williams | ||
| Date of birth | 28 September 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Stalybridge, England | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1991–1992 | Newtown | ||
| 1992–1995 | Shrewsbury Town | 99 | (3) |
| 1995–1999 | Chesterfield | 168 | (12) |
| 1999–2000 | Watford | 22 | (1) |
| 2000–2002 | Wimbledon | 70 | (7) |
| 2002–2003 | Stoke City | 6 | (0) |
| 2003 | Columbus Crew | 5 | (0) |
| 2004 | Wimbledon | 11 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Milton Keynes Dons | 13 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | → Rushden & Diamonds (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| Total | 401 | (24) | |
| National team | |||
| 1999–2005 | Northern Ireland | 36 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Mark Stuart Williams (born 28 September 1970) is a former Northern Irish footballer who played for Shrewsbury Town, Chesterfield, Watford, Wimbledon, Stoke City, Milton Keynes Dons and Rushden & Diamonds.
Club career
Williams started his career at Newtown, then moved to Shrewsbury Town where in 1993–94 season he helped the side win the Third Division title. After three seasons with the Shrews he moved to Chesterfield. In the 1995–96 season, he was part of Chesterfield's historic run to the FA Cup semi final, playing in both the semi final[1] and semi final replay[2] against Middlesbrough. Williams had earlier kick started their memorable cup run when he scored the only goal in the first round against Bury.[3]
In 1999, he was signed by newly promoted Premier League side Watford. He scored once for Watford, his goal coming in a 2–1 defeat to Leeds United.[4] However, at the end of the season the Hornets were relegated outright, in bottom place with just 24 points and Williams moved to another relegated side Wimbledon. Although an integral part of the team in his first season, he lost his place and joined Stoke City in March 2003.[5] Stoke were in deep relegation trouble in 2002–03 and Williams played in six matches helping them to avoid the drop on the final day of the season. In the summer of 2003 he moved to the United States to play for Major League Soccer team Columbus Crew where he made five appearances before returning to England.[6]
Williams re-joined old club Wimbledon in February 2004 and played 11 times for the club in 2003–04 as they suffered relegation to League One. He stayed at the club following their controversial change to Milton Keynes Dons and played 15 times for the re-branded club before ending his career with seven games on loan at Rushden & Diamonds.
International career
Williams played for Northern Ireland between 1999 and 2005 and won 36 caps, scoring once.[7]
Personal life
In 2006, Williams married glamour model and pornographic actress Linsey Dawn McKenzie. The couple has one child, Luca Scott Mark Williams, born in May 2005.
Career statistics
- Sourced from The English National Football Archive
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other[A] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Shrewsbury Town | 1992–93 | Third Division | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| 1993–94 | Third Division | 36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
| 1994–95 | Second Division | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 41 | 2 | |
| Total | 99 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 119 | 4 | ||
| Chesterfield | 1995–96 | Second Division | 42 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 50 | 3 |
| 1995–96 | Second Division | 42 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 4 | |
| 1997–98 | Second Division | 44 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 3 | |
| 1998–99 | Second Division | 40 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 4 | |
| Total | 168 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 191 | 14 | ||
| Watford | 1999–2000 | Premier League | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Total | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| Wimbledon | 2000–01 | First Division | 42 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 7 |
| 2001–02 | First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2001–02 | First Division | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| Total | 70 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 9 | ||
| Stoke City | 2002–03 | First Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Columbus Crew | 2003 | Major League Soccer | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Wimbledon | 2003–04 | First Division | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2004–05 | League One | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Rushden & Diamonds (loan) | 2004–05 | League Two | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Career Total | 401 | 24 | 29 | 2 | 26 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 470 | 29 | ||
- A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Football League Trophy.
Honours
- Shrewsbury Town
- Football League Third Division champions: 1993–94
References
- ↑ Shaw, Phil (13 April 1997). "Hewitt keeps the Chesterfield dream alive". London: The Independent. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ↑ Moore, Glenn (22 April 1997). "Foreign legion go back to Wembley". London: The Independent. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ↑ "Season of dreaming Spireites". The Independent. 13 April 1997. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ↑ Haylett, Trevor (3 October 1999). "Bridges' pointer to pots of gold". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
- ↑ "Williams joins Stoke". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ 2003 Columbus Crew Statistics, USA Today.
- ↑ "Irish Football Association, Northern Ireland – Squad Profiles – Mark Williams – Defender".