Jacques Williams
Encyclopedia
Jacques Roger Williams is an English-born professional footballer who played for Birmingham City
in the Football League
as a midfielder
.
but grew up in France. 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.
At the age of 18 he came to England
together with fellow French youngster Trésor Luntala
, and following successful trials, both players joined Birmingham City
on free transfers before the 1999–2000 season
.
Eligible to play international football for both England and France,
Williams represented England at under-18 level
. He made his first-team debut for Birmingham in August 2000, playing one game in the League Cup
and then three Division One
games, but his development was interrupted by the need for a hernia operation.
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
,
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.
He had a trial at Crewe Alexandra
, on the recommendation of former assistant manager Brian Eastick
, then Academy Director at Birmingham,
but no contract ensued.
He joined Conference
side 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.
Returning in November 2003, he played a further ten league games,
but was only an unused substitute in the club's FA Cup fourth round match against Premier League Chelsea
,
despite scoring and hitting the post in the preceding league game.
He then injured an ankle,
and was released at the end of the season.
He spent the 2005–06 season
with Belgian Second Division
club Excelsior Virton
for whom he made three substitute appearances.
In August 2006 he had a trial with Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring a goal 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
,
but manager Mark McGhee
decided against signing him.
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Football career
Williams was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
but grew up in France. He started his football career in the youth system
Youth system
Youth system is a sporting terminology used to refer to a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise, and to fill up squads numbers in some teams...
at Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
, and played for the Bordeaux junior side which won the French under-18 championship.
At the age of 18 he came to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
together with fellow French youngster Trésor Luntala
Trésor Luntala
Trésor Luntala is a Congolese football player who currently free agent.-Career:His previous clubs include Stade Rennais, Birmingham City, Grasshopper and C.S. Visé...
, and following successful trials, both players joined Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
on free transfers before the 1999–2000 season
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
.
Eligible to play international football for both England and France,
Williams represented England at under-18 level
England national under-18 football team
-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the friendly match against Slovakia.-Recent call-ups:The following players have also been called up to the England under-18 squad and remain eligible.-References:...
. He made his first-team debut for Birmingham in August 2000, playing one game in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
and then three Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
games, but his development was interrupted by the need for a hernia operation.
Though he recovered sufficiently to resume playing reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
football, scoring the goals which put the team into the semifinal of the Birmingham Senior Cup
Birmingham Senior Cup
The Birmingham Senior Cup is a football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organized by the Birmingham County Football Association...
,
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.
He had a trial at Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, on the recommendation of former assistant manager Brian Eastick
Brian Eastick
Brian Eastick is an association football coach. Since 2009 he has been head coach of the England under-20 team.-Playing career:As a young player at Crystal Palace, Eastick was capped at England under-18 level.-Coaching career:...
, then Academy Director at Birmingham,
but no contract ensued.
He joined Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
side Scarborough
Scarborough F.C.
Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season...
for the 2003–04 season
2003-04 in English football
The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
, 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.
Returning in November 2003, he played a further ten league games,
but was only an unused substitute in the club's FA Cup fourth round match against Premier League Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
,
despite scoring and hitting the post in the preceding league game.
He then injured an ankle,
and was released at the end of the season.
He spent the 2005–06 season
2005-06 in Belgian football
The 2005-2006 season was the 112th competitive season in Belgian football.-Overview:For the first season since 2000, the football fancard is not needed to see a first division game. Tickets for matches can now be purchased with a single ID card and on the day of the match, which was not permitted...
with Belgian Second Division
Belgian Second Division
The Belgian Second Division is the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system after the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the Belgian Football Association in 1905. Between 2008 and 2010 it was named EXQI League after a television channel owned by the league main sponsor,...
club Excelsior Virton
R.E. Virton
R.E. Virton is a Belgian football club, from the city of Virton in the Luxembourg province of Belgium.-Famous past players: Thomas Meunier Michaël Wiggers Karim Belhocine Cédric Bockhorni Daniel Gomez Moussa Koita Stéphane Martine Jonathan Téhoué Aurélien Joachim-References:...
for whom he made three substitute appearances.
In August 2006 he had a trial with Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring a goal 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
Le Havre AC
Le Havre Athletic Club Football Association is a French association football club based in Le Havre. The club was founded originally as an athletics and rugby club in 1872, thus making it the oldest association football and rugby club registered in France...
,
but manager Mark McGhee
Mark McGhee
Mark Edward McGhee is a former Scottish professional football player. McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and spent spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, Celtic, IK Brage and Reading...
decided against signing him.