Mike Williamson (footballer)

Michael James Williamson (born 8 November 1983) is an English professional football manager and player who plays as a centre back. He is the player-manager of National League North club Gateshead.

Mike Williamson

Williamson playing for Newcastle United in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Michael James Williamson[1]
Date of birth	8 November 1983[1]
Place of birth	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Position(s)	Centre back[2]
Club information
Current team	Gateshead (player-manager)
Youth career
0000–2001	Torquay United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2001	Torquay United	5	(0)
2001–2005	Southampton	0	(0)
2003	→ Torquay United (loan)	11	(0)
2004	→ Doncaster Rovers (loan)	0	(0)
2004–2005	→ Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	37	(2)
2005–2009	Wycombe Wanderers	107	(9)
2009	Watford	21	(2)
2009–2010	Portsmouth	0	(0)
2010–2016	Newcastle United	150	(1)
2015	→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	5	(0)
2016–2017	Wolverhampton Wanderers	5	(0)
2017–2018	Oxford United	14	(0)
2018–	Gateshead	61	(1)
Teams managed
2019–	Gateshead
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:30, 19 July 2020 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire,[1] Williamson played six first-team games for Torquay United before joining Southampton in November 2001 for an initial fee believed to be in the region of £100,000.[3] However, Williamson was unable to get into the first team at Southampton. He returned to Plainmoor on loan for two months in September 2003, where he made 11 further appearances. A further loan spell at Doncaster Rovers—then Third Division leaders—followed on transfer deadline day in March 2004, although he did not feature for the South Yorkshire club.[4]

Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams secured Williamson's services on a season-long loan in July 2004, a move that was made permanent at the end of the 2004–05 season. Williamson made the number 6 shirt his own from the start of the 2005–06 season. In total, he made 144 league appearances for Wycombe, scoring 11 league goals during his time at the club.[4]

Watford

After a few consistent seasons he signed for Watford on 26 January 2009 for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.[5] He handed in a transfer request on 27 August 2009, declaring himself unfit for the away game at Swansea City on the Saturday and not travelling with the squad.[6]

Portsmouth

On 1 September 2009, Watford accepted a £2 million offer, potentially rising to £3 million, from Premier League team Portsmouth.[7]

Newcastle United

Williamson playing for Newcastle United in 2010

Williamson signed for Newcastle United on 27 January 2010 for an undisclosed fee.[8] He made his debut the same day at St James' Park in a 2–0 win over Crystal Palace,[9] in which he played the full 90 minutes and won the Man of the Match award in the process. On 28 January it was revealed that he was initially signed on an emergency loan deal in order for him to play the previous day, with the deal then finalised and Williamson signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.[10] On 3 December 2010, Williamson signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract extension with the club, which ran until 2016.[11] For the remainder of the season, he formed a reliable partnership with Fabricio Coloccini in the absence of the injured Steven Taylor.

With Newcastle's return to the Premier League, Williamson continued to be Coloccini's first-choice partner and managed to keep Taylor on the bench until an injury ended his run in the starting eleven. He made his comeback against Sunderland in the second matchday of the 2011–12 season but was ruled out again with consecutive arm and ankle injuries.[12]

On 30 August 2014, Williamson scored his first goal for the club in a 3–3 home league draw against Crystal Palace, tapping the ball in after teammate Rolando Aarons struck the post.[13]

On 3 May 2015, Williamson was sent off picking up a second yellow after a late challenge on Jamie Vardy, as Newcastle lost 3–0 to Leicester City, their eighth defeat in a row. After the match, Newcastle manager John Carver accused Williamson of deliberately getting himself sent off, which Williamson strongly denied.[14]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Having not featured in the league under new coach Steve McClaren, Williamson was loaned to Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers on 29 October 2015 for one month to cover for the injured Kortney Hause.[15] His debut came two days later in Wolves' next game, a 2–0 win away to rivals Birmingham City in which Williamson received the man of the match award.[16][17] After making three appearances, over the course of which the club conceded just one goal and picked up four points, his loan was initially extended until January,[18] but he was recalled after five appearances in total because of injuries at his parent club.[19] However, Williamson immediately picked up an injury of his own which subsequently kept him out for the rest of 2015–16 season.[20]

Despite his injury, on 29 January 2016, Williamson put pen to paper on an 18-month contract with Wolves after impressing during his earlier loan spell at the Midlands club, for a reported fee of £250,000. Williamson said upon signing for Wolves: "I loved my time here so that's why I'm here now. It's great to be back."[21][22] However, persistent injury problems prevented him from making a single appearance that year and he was not assigned a squad number at the start of the 2016–17 season. He eventually made a return to football on 7 January 2017, making his first senior appearance for Wolves since signing permanently, in a 2–0 FA Cup away win against Stoke.[23] Two months later he made his first league appearance, in a 2–1 defeat to Reading in which he was sent off for two yellow-card offences.[24] His final appearance for the club came in a 3–1 defeat to Derby County at Pride Park on 29 April 2017.

After having made just six appearances across all competitions since signing permanently for the club, in spite of his expressed desire to stay, it was announced on 19 May 2017 that Williamson would be released by Wolves upon the expiry of his contract.[25][26]

Oxford United

Williamson signed for Oxford United of League One on 26 July 2017 on a one-year contract.[27][28] He made his debut against Oldham Athletic in the opening match of the 2017–18 season, which ended in a 2–0 away victory for Oxford.[29] He made 14 league appearances during the season, at the end of which he was released by newly appointed manager Karl Robinson.[30]

Gateshead

In August 2018, he signed a one-year contract with Gateshead.[31] Williamson, like the majority of Gateshead's players and staff, did not have his contract renewed at the end of the season due to financial issues.[32] He became a player-coach on 14 January 2019 after Ben Clark was appointed manager permanently.[33]

Managerial career

Williamson was appointed as player-manager of Gateshead on 11 June 2019 with Ian Watson as his assistant, after the club's demotion to the National League North.[34]

Career statistics

As of end of 2019–20 season

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Torquay United	2001–02[35]	Third Division	5	0	0	0	0	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	6	0
Southampton	2001–02[35]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2002–03[36]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2003–04[37]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2004–05[38]	Premier League	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Torquay United (loan)	2003–04[37]	Third Division	11	0	0	0	—		1[lower-alpha 1]	0	12	0
Doncaster Rovers (loan)	2003–04[37]	Third Division	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	2004–05[38]	League Two	37	2	2	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 1]	0	41	2
Wycombe Wanderers	2005–06[39]	League Two	40	5	0	0	2	0	4[lower-alpha 2]	0	46	5
	2006–07[40]	League Two	33	1	2	0	7	1	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	43	2
	2007–08[41]	League Two	12	0	0	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 3]	0	14	0
	2008–09[42]	League Two	22	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	23	3
	Total		144	11	5	0	9	1	9	0	167	12
Watford	2008–09[42]	Championship	17	1	—		—		—		17	1
	2009–10[43]	Championship	4	1	—		2	1	—		6	2
	Total		21	2	—		2	1	—		23	3
Portsmouth	2009–10[43]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
Newcastle United	2009–10[43]	Championship	16	0	—		—		—		16	0
	2010–11[44]	Premier League	29	0	1	0	2	0	—		32	0
	2011–12[45]	Premier League	22	0	2	0	1	0	—		25	0
	2012–13[46]	Premier League	19	0	1	0	1	0	7[lower-alpha 4]	0	28	0
	2013–14[47]	Premier League	33	0	0	0	2	0	—		35	0
	2014–15[48]	Premier League	31	1	1	0	1	0	—		33	1
	2015–16[49]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		150	1	5	0	7	0	7	0	169	1
Wolverhampton Wanderers	2015–16[49]	Championship	5	0	—		—		—		5	0
	2016–17[50]	Championship	5	0	1	0	0	0	—		6	0
	Total		10	0	1	0	0	0	—		11	0
Oxford United	2017–18[51]	League One	14	0	1	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 5]	0	17	0
Gateshead	2018–19[52]	National League	31	0	2	0	—		1[lower-alpha 6]	0	34	0
	2019–20[52]	National League North	23	1	2	0	—		1	0	26	1
	Total		54	1	2	0	—		1	0	60	1
Career total			386	14	14	0	18	2	21	0	439	17

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Three appearances in Football League Trophy, one in League Two play-offs
3. Appearances in League Two play-offs
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearances in EFL Trophy
6. Appearance in FA Trophy

Managerial statistics

As of 11 June 2019[53][54]

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	From	To	Record
			P	W	D	L	Win %
Gateshead	11 June 2019	Present	38	18	10	10	047.4
Total			38	18	10	10	047.4

Honours

Torquay United

• Football League Third Division third-place promotion: 2003–04[55]

Wycombe Wanderers

• Football League Two third-place promotion: 2008–09[56]

Newcastle United

• Football League Championship: 2009–10[57]

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 440. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
2. "Mike Williamson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
3. "Saints seal Williamson deal". BBC Sport. 24 November 2001. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
4. "Player profiles:Mike Williamson". Wycombe Wanderers F.C. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
5. "Watford sign defender Williamson". BBC Sport. 26 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
6. "Former Wycombe Wanderers and Southampton defender Mike Williamson asks to leave following Portsmouth approach". Watford Observer. 27 August 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
7. "Williamson seals Pompey transfer". BBC Sport. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
8. "Portsmouth defender Williamson seals Newcastle switch". BBC Sport. 27 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
9. "Newcastle 2–0 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 27 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
10. "Breaking News: Williamson Transfer Finalised". Newcastle United F.C. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
11. "Williamson Agrees Long-Term Deal". Newcastle United F.C. 3 December 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
12. "Mike Williamson suffers fresh injury problems". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. 10 November 2011.
13. Taylor, Louise (30 August 2014). "Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha scores last-gasp equaliser at Newcastle". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
14. "Mike Williamson: Newcastle player says red card not deliberate". BBC Sport. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
15. "Mike Williamson: Wolves sign Newcastle United defender on loan". BBC Sport. 29 October 2015.
16. "Birmingham City 0–2 Wolves". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
17. "Birmingham 0–2 Wolves: Wolves dismiss Blues in derby win". Sky Sports. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
18. "Newcastle defender Mike Williamson extends Wolves loan". ESPN FC. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
19. "Newcastle recall Mike Williamson from Wolves loan spell". BBC Sport. 1 December 2015.
20. "Mike Williamson opens up on Wolves injury nightmare". Express & Star. 3 May 2016.
21. "Mike Williamson Signs For Wolves". BBC Sport. 29 January 2016.
22. "Mike Williamson signs for Wolves in £250,000 deal – then reveals his frustration". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
23. "FA Cup: Stoke City 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers". BBC Sport. 7 January 2017.
24. "Reading 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
25. "Mike Williamson wants to stay at Wolves". Express & Star. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
26. "Wolves: Jack Price & George Saville staying, Mike Williamson released". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
27. "Mike Williamson Joins Oxford United". Oxford United F.C. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
28. Pritchard, David (26 July 2017). "Mike Williamson so hungry to succeed after signing Oxford United contract". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
29. "Oldham Athletic 0 Oxford United 2". Oxford United F.C. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
30. Pritchard, David (27 April 2018). "Dwight Tiendalli, Mike Williamson and Ivo Pekalski have no future with Oxford United". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
31. "Heed secure former Magpies' defender Williamson". Gateshead F.C. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
32. "Gateshead FC assistant manager Ian Watson dismissed – leaving just four staff members". Chronicle Live. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
33. Gregory, Ross (14 January 2019). "Ex-Sunderland and Hartlepool Ben Clark is Gateshead's new manager with Mike Williamson player-coach". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
34. Bowron, Jeff (11 June 2019). "Former Newcastle United defender Mike Williamson is new Gateshead FC manager". Chronicle Live. Trinity Mirror North East. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
35. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
36. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
37. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
38. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
39. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
40. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
41. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
42. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
43. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
44. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
45. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
46. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
    Magowan, Alistair (30 August 2012). "Newcastle 1–0 Atromitos". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012.
47. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
48. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
49. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
50. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
51. "Games played by Mike Williamson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
52. "M Williamson: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
53. "Mike Williamson: Defender to be Gateshead player-manager". BBC Sport. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
54. "Gateshead FC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
55. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2004). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2004–2005. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 49, 376–377. ISBN 978-0-7553-1311-2.
56. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2009). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2009–2010. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 45, 420–421. ISBN 978-0-7553-1948-0.
57. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2010). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010–2011. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 36, 268–269. ISBN 978-0-7553-6107-6.

External links

• Mike Williamson at Soccerbase