Aberystwyth Town unveil former Crawley Town, Portsmouth and Cardiff Met coach as manager
CARDIFF, WALES - 09 OCTOBER 2021: JD Cymru Premier league fixture between Cardiff Met University F.C & Haverfordwest County A.F.C, Cardiff Met Cyncoed Campus, October 9th, 2021, Cardiff, Wales (Pic By John Smith/FAW)
Aberystwyth Town have announced the appointment of former Wales U21 goalkeeper Anthony Williams as their new first-team manager.
The 44-year-old replaces Antonio Corbisiero, who resigned from his post a fortnight ago along with most of his coaching team.
Williams was most recently assistant manager and head of coaching at Cardiff Met, but has now opted to leave following the stepping down of manager Christian Edwards, who will remain as a director of football with the Archers.
Speaking to Aberystwyth’s website, Williams said; “I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to manage such a prestigious club.
“Having been involved in the league for a number of years, I’ve always admired the passion and dedication shown by the club’s loyal supporters. It’s clear that the local community is at the heart of everything it strives to achieve.”
Prior to his coaching career, Williams had a playing career spanning over 15 years, making just shy of 300 league appearances in goal. Williams earned 16 caps for Wales U21 between 1996 and 2000, including famously saving two penalties from Andrea Pirlo in a defeat to Italy. He then made 131 appearances for Hartlepool between 2000 and 2004, and was between the sticks when the Pools won promotion from Division Three in 2003.
Williams also made 36 appearances for Wrexham between 2007 and 2009, before drawing his career to a close with Neath in the Welsh Premier League, who he was with for the 2009-10 season.
After hanging up his gloves, Williams has gone on to hold a variety of roles with Football League clubs. His first coaching role was as a goalkeeper coach for Wales’ intermediate squads, before taking up the same role with Bury in 2012. Williams then moved to become Crawley’s assistant manager, following his manager at Bury Richie Barker. Williams continued to work with Barker when he was appointed as Portsmouth’s manager, continuing his role as an assistant for a brief spell at Pompey.
Williams had another change of role after leaving Portsmouth, opting to become a scout at Leyton Orient, before then moving on to be a youth scout for Stoke. Williams took up his most recent role as assistant manager at Cardiff Met in 2017, and took on further responsibilities as head of coaching in 2019. Williams holds the UEFA Pro Licence, as well as the A Licence for goalkeeper coaching, and is also a coach educator at the FAW.
