Williams Ben Image 1 Everton 1934

Description

Penrhiwceiber, Glamorgan born right back Ben Williams, nicknamed “Khyber” because of his birthplace, began his football career with Penrhiwceiber in 1924 before joining Second Division club Swansea Town for £25 in March 1925, where he made his Football League debut against Bradford City in March 1926. He missed only one match in 1927-28 as Swansea finished a creditable sixth in the League, and won the first of his 10 caps for Wales through to March 1935 when he played against England in a 3-2 defeat at The Vetch Field, Swansea in November 1928.

In January 1930 he was signed by First Division club Everton for £7,500, making his debut in an FA Cup victory at Carlisle United, but only played 9 League matches as Everton were relegated at the end of the season. They bounced back in dramatic style, with Williams as club captain, sweeping the Second Division Championship in 1931 as Williams missed only six matches all season, he was also part of their 1931 FA Cup semi final team that lost to eventual winners West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford.

Everton then won the League Championship in 1931-32, with Williams making 34 appearances during the campaign, but although he played in their 5-3 FA Charity Shield win at Newcastle United in October 1932 he wasn’t a member of their 1933 FA Cup winning team due to injury, with Billy Cook taking his place. He continued to play for Everton on an ever less regular basis until he joined Newport County in the summer of 1936, having made 140 appearances for The Toffees.

He had a single season at Somerton Park, making 19 appearances for Newport, before retiring from football in 1937 due to his knee injury, becoming Newport’s trainer on his retirement, remaining until the outbreak of the Second World War, by when The Exiles had won the Third Division (South) Championship in 1939. In May 2005, his Second Division Championship winning medal was sold for £1,900 at auction.