Matt Healey continues the series.
John Williams was born in Birmingham on the 11th May 1968. He played non league with Cradley Town whilst working full time as postman. His talent attracted the scouts and he was signed by now League One Swansea City.
He left the Vetch to join top flight Coventry City ahead of the inaugural Premier League season in 1992. He was also the 2nd ever scorer in the competition. Brian Deane had scored the first ever Premier League goal for Sheffield United against Manchester United. Williams scored the 2nd for Coventry against Middlesbrough.
Prior to signing at Highfield Road he had won the Rumbelows Sprint Challenge where he became the fastest footballer in England. After previously working as a postman he then earnt the nickname “The Flying Postman”
Loan spells at Stoke City, Notts County and Swansea City followed. He then left the Sky Blues to join Wycombe Wanderers in 1995.
He arrived at Edgar Street in February 1997. At the time Hereford had got past a brutal run of results and were on a good run of form, even the most optimistic of supporters would say the club had an outside chance of a play off place.
Williams told Your Herefordshire “I wasn’t playing regularly at Wycombe and jumped at the chance to join Hereford. Graham Turner (Hereford Manager) was a breath of fresh air and I signed for the club until the end of the season, we had such a talented squad of players and even then there wasn’t any talk of relegation”
Williams made his debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Cardiff City on the 16th February 1997. Less than a week later he scored his first Hereford goal with a last minute stunner in a 3-3 draw against Lincoln City.
Seven days later he made his first Hereford start and a brilliantly executed lob saw him score his 2nd goal in a 2-1 defeat against Exeter City.
On the 8th March 1997 Hereford were defeated 2-1 at home to Northampton Town. Williams received a straight red card following a penalty area melee “It was very out of character, I was frustrated and we were 2-0 down at the time and needed a goal. I received the standard club fine and we moved on, even though the manager didn’t speak to me for a while”
“The sending off was such a blow, as I had got myself into the team and then would have to face a three game ban”
Hereford then lost on loan midfielder Carl Beeston who was recalled by Stoke City. Enforcer Keith Downing had also had to retire due to a recurring back problem, and with Gareth Stoker now at Cardiff City. The Bulls were light in experience in the middle of the park and were to lose form. Brighton who had seemed dead and buried around Christmas were now picking up points and building momentum.
There were four games to go, and Hereford were five points ahead of Brighton, but it was still extremely edgy and anxious. Next up was a 1-1 draw at Scarborough on the 12th April 1997 where Williams who was back from suspension opened the scoring, then another 1-1 draw, this time at home to Torquay a week later.
Brighton had closed the gap and with two games to go Hereford were three points ahead of them. Brighton though had a better goals scored column. Usually when a team is level on points, the usual system of goal difference would kick in, but that season it was changed to goals scored, and with Hereford scoring less than Brighton it made for a very nervous time at Edgar Street.
On the penultimate weekend Hereford would lose 2-1 at Leyton Orient on the 26th April 1997, whereas Brighton beat Doncaster Rovers 1-0 in a highly charged emotional final game at the Goldstone Ground (The ground was demolished the following season) Brighton were now ahead of the Bulls going into the final game.
I asked Williams his memories of the Brighton game “It’s something I had never experienced before as a player, there were nearly 10,000 packed into Edgar Street, there were Brighton Fans climbing on the fence outside to watch, we were very nervous, but we went for it. Graham Turner went with three strikers up front, myself, Adrian Foster and Tony Agana, we battered them the first half and were 1-0 in front, then they had a supersub called Robbie Reinelt, he was like David Fairclough at Liverpool and he got them the equaliser. Adrian Foster missed a chance at the end and we were down”
Williams was offered the chance to stay at Hereford in the GM Vauxhall Conference.
“Graham Turner offered me a contract, but I had only joined the professional game six years earlier and I didn’t want to drop into non league in my twenties. I ended up signing briefly for Walsall in what is now League One, but then signed for Exeter City. I had my best spell at Cardiff City the following year linking up with Kevin Nugent, we won promotion and we both scored plenty of goals”
Williams later played for York City, Darlington, Swansea City and Kidderminster Harriers. He then dropped into the non league game after leaving Aggborough in 2004.
“I remember coming back to Edgar Street as a York player in the FA Cup. I was on the bench and Hereford won 1-0”
Williams continued “I had seven more football league seasons after leaving Hereford, but it was great to see them finally get promoted when they beat Halifax in the play off final”
Williams now lives in Evesham and combines two jobs of working in sports management and at a children’s home “I wanted to give something back to the community, I also regularly attend reunions at Coventry City”
Williams only played eleven times for Hereford but he still speaks to some former colleagues he adds “I still chat to Gavin Mahon and Dean Smith when he answers his phone” Williams joked
*Photos supplied by MH Archive and Coventry City Former Players Association
