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JOHN WILLIAMS
Full Name: John Lloyd Williams (also known as John L, John Cardiff)
Born: 27 January 1936
Came from: Cardiff City Went to: Torquay United
First game: 18 September 1958 Last game: 26 September 1961
Appearances: 38 (38/0) Goals: 0
Born in Merthyr, John 'Cardiff' Williams was capped at Youth level for Wales, scoring in a 3-1 defeat by England at Portsmouth. He attracted the attention of several professional clubs but chose nearby Cardiff City. In 1958, after three seasons without a first team appearance he asked to be transferred. He was on the point of joining Norwich before a late bid from Argyle secured his signature. He made his debut in the autumn of 1958 and was a regular in the 1958-59 promotion side. Although he lost his place to Len Casey as the promotion push faltered, he was recalled for the final few matches. He never again captured a regular slot in the first team but came to national prominence as the man who marked Jimmy Greaves in the famous reserve match against Tottenham in December 1961. Unusually he was retained for two seasons to set an example for young players making their way in the reserves. After a spell at Plainmoor he returned to Merthyr and worked as a Training Officer with Hoover.
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APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]
The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.
I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.
The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.
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