Ashley Williams (footballer)

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Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams Wales.jpg
Williams playing for Wales in 2011
Personal information
Full name Ashley Errol Williams[1]
Date of birth (1984-08-23) 23 August 1984 (age 39)
Place of birth Wolverhampton, England
Height Script error: No such module "person height".
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Swansea City
Number 6
Youth career
Tamworth
West Bromwich Albion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2003 Hednesford Town 60 (0)
2003–2008 Stockport County 162 (3)
2008 → Swansea City (loan) 3 (0)
2008– Swansea City 319 (14)
International career‡
2008– Wales 58 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:00, 1 May 2016 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:00, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

Ashley Errol Williams (born 23 August 1984) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Swansea City and the Wales national team. He is currently captain of both teams. He plays mainly as a central defender.

Career

Club career

Stockport County

Born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands,[1] Williams began his career at West Bromwich Albion as a youth player but was released by the club at 16. He went on to play for non-league Hednesford Town, before joining Division Two side Stockport County in 2003.[2] Williams later became captain of Stockport, and was still at the club when he made his international debut.

In November 2007, Williams won both the inaugural North-West League Two Player of the Year Award and the North-West Player of the Year Award.[3][4]

Swansea City

In March 2008, Williams signed for Swansea City on loan until the end of the 2007–08 season, with a view to a permanent move.[2] After helping Swansea win the League One title and, with it, promotion to the second tier of English football for the first time in 24 years, the move was made permanent for a reported £400,000 – a club record transfer fee at the time.[5]

On 16 September 2008, Williams scored his first Swansea goal in a 1–1 draw against Derby County.[6] The defender impressed during his first season at Championship level, eventually going on to be named the 'Wales Footballer of the Year' at an FAW awards dinner in November 2009. Williams also picked up the 'Clubman of the Year' award at the same event.[7]

After finishing in eighth position during their first Championship campaign, Swansea improved on their position by one place the following season, missing out on a play-off position by a single point.[8] Williams was part of a defence that conceded only 37 goals during that campaign, and was selected in the 2009–10 Championship PFA Team of the Year at the end of the season.

The 2010–11 season saw Swansea and Williams gain promotion to the Premier League via a play-off final win at Wembley. Williams was named in the Championship PFA Team of the Year for the second consecutive season. The season also saw him equal and surpass a club record of 106 consecutive matches, previously jointly held by Andy Legg and Gilbert Beech.[9]

Swansea's first Premier League season began with a 4–0 loss at eventual champions Manchester City, but the club went on to finish the season in eleventh place. On 24 September 2011, Williams scored his first ever Premier League goal in a 4–1 loss at Chelsea, after heading in a Mark Gower free kick.[10]

Williams playing for Swansea City in 2011

In October 2012, Williams signed a new three-year contract with Swansea.[11] The club's second season in the Premier League saw a ninth-placed finish and a first major trophy win in English football Williams and Swansea, following a 5–0 win over Bradford City in the 2013 League Cup final on 24 February 2013. After captaining the team during the final at Wembley, Williams lifted the trophy with club captain Garry Monk, who had come on as a second-half substitute.

In July 2013, after acting as captain for the majority of Swansea's games during the previous two seasons, Williams was handed the club captaincy on a permanent basis after Monk stepped down from the role.[12]

On 4 July 2014, Williams signed a new four-year contract with Swansea.[13] On 19 April 2015, he was selected in the Team of the Decade at the Football League Awards.[14]

International career

Having qualified to play for the Wales national football team through his maternal grandfather Williams made his international debut on 26 March 2008,[15][16] two days before securing his move to Swansea City. He captained his country for the first time on 14 November 2009, in a 3–0 friendly win over Scotland in Cardiff,[17] and scored his first international goal in a 5–1 friendly win over Luxembourg in Llanelli on 11 October 2010.

In October 2012, Williams was appointed captain of Wales by Chris Coleman, replacing Aaron Ramsey.[18]

Personal life

In December 2010, Williams established the charity WillsWorld with his wife Vanessa, with a view to help under-privileged children. He is also a patron of the Ethan Perkins Trust, which raises funds for research, support and awareness into childhood brain tumours.

Williams was a boyhood fan of Liverpool F.C.[19]

Career statistics

As of 2 March 2016[20][21]
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2003–04 Stockport County League One 10 0 — — — 10 0
2004–05 44 1 3 1 1 0 — 48 2
2005–06 League Two 36 1 1 0 1 0 — 38 1
2006–07 46 1 2 0 1 0 — 49 1
2007–08 26 0 — 2 0 — 28 0
Total Stockport County 162 3 6 1 5 0 — 173 4
2007–08 Swansea City League One 3 0 — — — 3 0
2008–09 Championship 46 2 4 0 1 0 — 51 2
2009–10 46 5 — — — 46 5
2010–11 49a 3 2 0 2 0 — 53 3
2011–12 Premier League 37 1 2 0 1 0 — 40 1
2012–13 37 0 0 0 4 0 — 41 0
2013–14 34 1 2 0 0 0 7 0 43 1
2014–15 37 0 0 0 2 0 — 39 0
2015–16 33 2 0 0 0 0 — 25 2
Total Swansea City 319 14 10 0 10 0 7 0 346 14
Career total 481 17 16 1 15 0 7 0 519 18

^a The 2010–11 League total includes three play-off appearances.

International goals

Wales' goal tally first

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 11 August 2010 Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli, Wales  Luxembourg 4 – 1 5–1 Friendly

Honours

Swansea City

References

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  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  18. ↑ "Williams to captain Wales".
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by Stockport County captain
2007–2008		 Succeeded by
Gareth Owen
Preceded by Wales captain
2012–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by Swansea City captain
2013–present		 Incumbent

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