Geraint Williams
Geraint Williams
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Geraint Williams

David Geraint Williams (born 5 January 1962) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer.

As a player, he was a midfielder from 1980 until 2000, notably featuring in the Premier League for Ipswich Town, as well as in the Football League for Bristol Rovers, Derby County, and Colchester United. He was capped 13 times for Wales.

Since retiring he was worked as a coach and later became Colchester United manager between 2006 and 2008 following a successful temporary spell in charge. He later managed both Leyton Orient and the Wales U21 team.

Williams was born in Cwmparc. He began his career with Bristol Rovers, where he made his first team debut in the 1980–81 season and remained with them until he joined Derby County on 29 March 1985 for £40,000. He had played 141 league games for the Pirates, scoring eight goals.

He helped Derby County win promotion to the Second Division in 1986 and to the First Division a year later, rarely missing a game for them in his seven years there. He contributed to their fifth place league finish (their best in over a decade) in 1989 but endured the disappointment of relegation back to the Second Division two years later. After failing to get them back into the top flight in 1992, he bade farewell to the Baseball Ground after seven years, 267 league games and 10 goals, when signing for Ipswich Town on 1 July 1992 for £650,000. Ipswich had just been promoted to the new FA Premier League as champions of the Second Division.

Ipswich did reasonably well in 1992–93, having the longest unbeaten start in the new Premier League and being fourth as late on as February. However, a run of poor results dragged them down to 16th place in the final table. They only narrowly avoided relegation a year later, as the 1993–94 campaign had brought a similar pattern to the previous one – a good start followed by a slump. Ipswich were finally relegated in 1994–95, winning just seven games and conceding 92 goals (including a 9–0 defeat by Manchester United in March 1995). Williams remained with them for three more seasons after relegation, finally departing on a free transfer in the summer of 1998 after 227 league games and three goals for the Tractor Boys.

He then signed for Division Two newcomers Colchester United, playing 39 league games for them over the next two seasons before finally hanging up his boots at the end of the 1999–2000 season and remaining at the club as a coach.

Williams was capped 13 times by Wales.

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