Jacques Williams
English footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jacques Roger Williams (born 25 April 1981) is an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Birmingham City in the Football League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jacques Roger Williams | ||
| Date of birth | 25 April 1981[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Wallasey, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 199?–1999 | Bordeaux | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2002 | Birmingham City | 3 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Scarborough | 12 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | Excelsior Virton | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Tractor Sazi | 0 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Steel Azin | 7 | (1) |
| 2009–20?? | Emirates Club | 44 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Football career
Williams was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, and raised in France.[3] He started his football career in the youth system at Bordeaux, and played for the Bordeaux junior side which won the French under-18 championship.[4] At the age of 18 he came to England with fellow French youngster Trésor Luntala for trials with Birmingham City, and both players signed on free transfers before the 1999–2000 season.[3] Williams was on standby for the England under-18 match against Switzerland in September 1999, but an ankle problem prevented his taking part,[5] and he was named in the preliminary squad for European Under-18 Championship qualifiers in October but remained unused.[6][7] He made his first-team debut for Birmingham in August 2000, playing once in the League Cup and then three First Division matches, but his development was interrupted by the need for a double hernia operation.[8] Though he recovered sufficiently to resume playing reserve team football, scoring the goals which put the team into the semifinal of the Birmingham Senior Cup,[9] a spate of injuries meant that those four games were all he played for Birmingham's first team before being released when his contract expired.[4]
He had a trial at Crewe Alexandra, on the recommendation of former assistant manager Brian Eastick, then academy director at Birmingham,[10] but no contract ensued.
He joined Conference club Scarborough for the 2003–04 season, but sustained a broken rib and punctured lung in only his second game, complications from which meant a prolonged stay in hospital and three months out of football.[11][12] Returning to action in November 2003, he played a further ten league games,[13] but was only an unused substitute in the club's FA Cup fourth round match against Premier League club Chelsea,[14] despite scoring and hitting the post in the preceding league game.[15] He then injured an ankle,[16] and was released at the end of the season.[17]
He spent the 2005–06 season with Belgian Second Division club Excelsior Virton for whom he made three substitute appearances.[18]
In August 2006 he had a trial with Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring in an 11–0 rout of French amateur side Racing Club Port du Havre and making a promising substitute appearance in a 2–0 defeat against Le Havre AC,[19][20] but manager Mark McGhee decided against signing him.[21]
