Gavin Williams (footballer)

Gavin John Williams (born 20 July 1980) is a Welsh football coach and former player who was most recently the manager of Merthyr Town.

Hereford United
Williams started his career as a YTS player at Hereford United having previously trained with Cardiff City. He made his first team debut at the age of 17, as a substitute in the 3–0 FA Cup victory over Sittingbourne. He made twelve more appearances that season and scored his first goal against Dover Athletic in the Conference. By the 1998–99 season he was a first team regular playing in a variety of positions in midfield and up front. He was to spend five seasons at Edgar Street, notably scoring a wonder strike against Swindon Town in the 2001–02 FA Cup second round.

Yeovil Town
At the age of 21 he moved to Hereford's rivals Yeovil Town for the 2002–03 season, having rejected a new contract offer at Edgar Street. Hereford received a £22,500 fee for their leading goalscorer plus a 25% next sale clause, which earned the Bulls a further £62,500 in 2004.

At Huish Park he was an integral part in the squad which in that season gained promotion to the football league for the first time, scoring six goals, the same season in which his team reached the sixth round of the FA Trophy. He also won the Player of the Year award for his club, an ever-present rock in the midfield.

West Ham
It wasn't long before West Ham United decided to swoop for him, purchasing him in December 2004 for £250,000. But his last act in his last game for Yeovil was to be sent off.

He made his West Ham debut on Boxing Day 2004, coming on as a substitute against Nottingham Forest in a 3–2 win. He made a further nine appearances in the West Ham team, as they gained promotion to the Premiership, scoring his first goal against Leeds United. By November 2005 he had been loaned out to Ipswich Town after struggling to gain a first-team place at West Ham. The loan spell was a success and the deal was made permanent in January 2006 for a fee of £300,000.

Ipswich Town
In November 2005, Williams joined Ipswich Town on loan after struggling to gain a first-team place at West Ham. He scored on his debut for the club on 19 November in a 1–1 draw with Coventry City. The loan spell was a success and the deal was made permanent in January 2006 for a fee of £300,000.

Williams featured more regularly during the 2006–07 season. He scored his first goal of the season on 16 December, scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 home win over Leeds United at Portman Road. On 1 January has again scored the winning goal in a 1–0 home win over Birmingham City. He made 32 appearances in all competitions in the season, scoring twice. He won the club's goal of the season award for his strike against Leeds.

During the 2007–08 season Williams saw his game time reduced, making 10 starts and 3 substitute appearances in the league as Ipswich finished 8th in the Championship, one point off the Championship Play-offs.

Bristol City
On 27 June 2008, he joined Bristol City on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Williams made his debut for Bristol City on 9 August 2008, starting in a 0–1 away win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. He scored his first goal for the club on 21 October 2008, netting in a 0–2 away win over Charlton Athletic at The Valley.

Yeovil Town (loan)
Williams returned to Yeovil on a one-month loan, on 11 March 2010 from Bristol City. In his first game on 13 March, he scored a free kick, created one goal and got sent off all in just over an hour. His loan was extended until the end of the season and he scored five times and got four assists in eight games.

On 9 September 2010, Williams returned to Yeovil for a three-month loan.

Bristol Rovers
On 31 January 2011 he was released by Bristol City and signed for arch rivals Bristol Rovers. He scored his first goal for Bristol Rovers in a west country derby win over Yeovil Town. He was one of seventeen players released by the team in May 2011.

Yeovil Town
On 15 June 2011 it was confirmed that Williams would be returning to Yeovil Town for the new season and scored his first goal of the season against Walsall. He also scored in two consecutive games against MK Dons and Oldham Athletic, with Yeovil winning both. On 8 May 2012, Williams signed a new one-year contract with the Glovers. On 19 May 2013, Williams was an unused substitute in the 2013 League One play-off final, although he was cautioned for time wasting, as Yeovil won promotion to the Championship for the first time in the club's history. Williams was released by Yeovil at the end of the season having not been offered a new contract.

Woking
On 22 July 2013, Williams signed for Woking for the forthcoming season. However, due to family issues his contract was terminated on 20 December 2013 and left the club with full respect of the manager and supporters.

Merthyr Town
On 30 December 2013, Williams signed for his home town club Merthyr Town and made his debut for the Martyrs on 4 January 2014 in a 3–2 win against North Leigh. On 23 May 2014, Williams was appointed player/assistant manager at Merthyr alongside current Merthyr player Steve Williams and both would serve under newly appointed Merthyr manager Steve Jenkins.

International career
After representing Wales Semi-Pro in 2002, Williams made his international debut for Wales on 17 August 2005, featuring as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 draw with Slovenia at the Liberty Stadium, Wales. He made his second appearance for his country on 16 November 2005, again featuring as a substitute in a 1–0 loss to Cyprus at Tsirion Stadium, Cyprus.

Managerial career
On 27 May 2016, after the resignation of Jenkins, Williams was appointed manager of Merthyr Town. In January 2021, Williams decided to leave his role as manager of Merthyr Town.

Personal life
Williams' younger brother Lewis is a rugby union player. Gavin's son, Jay, is also a footballer, who played for the Fulham F.C. Academy.

International

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Honours

 * Yeovil Town
 * Football Conference champion: 2002–03
 * Football League Two champion: 2004–05
 * Football League One play-off final winner: 2012–13


 * West Ham United
 * Football League Championship play-off final winner: 2004–05


 * Merthyr Town
 * Southern League Division One South & West champion: 2014–15
 * Southern League Cup champion: 2015–16


 * Individual
 * Ipswich Town Goal of the Season: 2006–07