Jay Williams (footballer)

Jay Williams (born 4 October 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and defensive midfielder for EFL League One club Crawley Town.

Jay Williams
Williams in March 2019
Personal information
Full name Jay Williams[1]
Date of birth (2000-10-04) 4 October 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Northampton, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back,Defensive Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Crawley Town
Number 26
Youth career
2013–2018 Northampton Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Northampton Town 10 (0)
2020 Kettering Town 12 (0)
2021 Harrogate Town 7 (1)
2021 AFC Rushden & Diamonds 7 (0)
2021–2023 Banbury United 63 (8)
2023 Brackley Town 0 (0)
2023– Crawley Town 52 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:14, 17 November 2024

Club career

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Williams joined Northampton Town at the age of 13.[3] He made his first-team debut in their EFL Trophy tie against Wycombe Wanderers, featuring for the entire 90 minutes.[4]

He made his league debut in a 5–0 away win to Macclesfield Town[5] coming off of the bench to replace Sam Foley in the 73rd minute. He went on to play a vital part in the rest of that season racking up 14 appearances in total.

In November 2020, Williams signed for National League North club Kettering Town.[6]

On 7 January 2021, Williams signed for League Two side Harrogate Town.[7]

Following on from his release from Harrogate, he dropped down three divisions to sign for Southern Football League Premier Division Central side AFC Rushden & Diamonds.[8] He made the switch to divisional rivals Banbury United in October 2021 and extended his stay in December when he signed a contract until the end of the season.[8] He was part of the team that were crowned champions in the 2021–22 season.[9]

In June 2023, Williams signed for National League North rivals Brackley Town.[10] On 18 July 2023 however, he signed for League Two club Crawley Town on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[11]

On 27 August 2024, Williams injured Brighton midfielder Matt O'Riley with a tackle described in the media as "awful" and a "horror tackle".[12][13] The Crawley manager Scott Lindsey apologised for Williams's challenge in the post-match press conference.[13]

International career

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Born in England, Williams is of Kittitian descent. In March 2024, he was called up to the Saint Kitts and Nevis national team for a set of friendlies.[14]

Career statistics

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As of match played 22 October 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Northampton Town 2018–19[15] League Two 10 0 0 0 0 0 4[a] 0 14 0
2019–20[16] League Two 0 0 0 0 1 0 2[a] 0 3 0
Total 10 0 0 0 1 0 6 0 17 0
Harrogate Town 2020–21 League Two 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
Banbury United 2022–23 National League North 35 3 0 0 0 0 2[b] 1 37 4
Crawley Town 2023–24 League Two 40 1 0 0 0 0 5 2 44 3
2024–25 League One 11 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 12 0
Total 51 1 0 0 1 0 5 2 56 3
Career total 103 5 0 0 2 0 13 3 118 8

Honours

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Harrogate Town

Crawley Town

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearances in FA Trophy

References

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  1. ^ "CLUB LIST OF REGISTERED PLAYERS" (PDF). EFL. 19 May 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Jay Williams - Defender - First Team - Crawley Town". www.crawleytownfc.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Jay Williams - Defender". Northampton Town. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Northampton Town vs. Wycombe Wanderers". Soccerway. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Macclesfield Town 0-5 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 23 October 2018. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Jay Williams". Kettering Town FC. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Promising defender Williams arrives at Town". Harrogate Town FC. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  8. ^ a b "JACK STEVENS AND JAY WILLIAMS PUT PEN TO PAPER". Banbury United FC. 24 December 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  9. ^ "It's Championship Success For Banbury!". southern-football-league.co.uk. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  10. ^ "NEW SIGNING: JAY WILLIAMS SIGNS FOR BRACKLEY TOWN". www.brackleytownfc.com. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  11. ^ "JAY WILLIAMS JOINS CRAWLEY". www.crawleytownfc.com. 18 July 2023. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Fabian Hurzeler fumes at Jay Williams foul that left Matt O'Riley injured". Sky Sports. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  13. ^ a b "I winced when I saw Jay Williams' horror tackle on Matt O'Riley, but it was refreshing to see the Crawley Town boss apologise". Sussex World. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  14. ^ "'Very proud moment' - Crawley Town star earns first International call-up". Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Games played by Jay Williams in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  16. ^ "Games played by Jay Williams in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  17. ^ Law, James (3 May 2021). "FA Trophy final 2019-20: Concord Rangers 0–1 Harrogate Town". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  18. ^ "Crawley Town 2–0 Crewe Alexandra: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
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