The Coventry City Former Players Association are delighted to announce that the Association’s special guest for the Sky Blues’ vital home game against Peterborough United next Saturday April 7th 2012 will be John Williams. This will be John’s second visit to the Ricoh in successive home games as he was one of the ‘Fabulous Fifty’ Former Players who turned out to Legends Day 2012 at CCFC’s last home game against Portsmouth.
After being entertained to lunch at the Ricoh John will be doing the honours meeting supporters in the various corporate lounges pre-match. He will be introduced to fans on the pitch at half-time and after the game we hope to tempt him once more onto the stage of the G-Casino’s Lady Gs Show Bar where CCFPA’s Billy Bell will submit him to a light hearted grilling in front of a roomful of footy fans (all welcome).
A Brummie, John earned the knickname the ‘Flying Postman’ since he was a postie when discovered playing for Cradley Town in 1990 as a 22 year old by Swansea City (46 appearances, 11 goals) and won the Rumbelow’s sprint challenge against other speed merchants from the world of soccer at the Cup Final on the Wembley turf in 1992. The Sky Blues brought him to Highfield Road in July 1992 for £250k and for a time he terrorised top Division defences with his pace. John eventually scored 11 times in his 86 appearances for the Sky Blues (also having loan spells with Notts County, Swansea City and Stoke City) before moving to Wycombe Wanderers in September 1995 for £150k.
John’s subsequent career made him something of a wandering star, however, featuring for Hereford United, Walsall and Exeter City in 1997, Cardiff City (1998), York City (1999), Darlington (2000), and Swansea City again (2001) and Kidderminster Harriers (2003) producing a total of 71 goals in just over 450 appearances in the Football league. John then dropped down to non league football with Bath City (2004) and between 2005-08 the likes of Redditch United, Evesham United, Weston-Super-Mare, Stourbridge, Willenhall Town and Boldmere St. Michaels for whom he scored a hat-trick (aged 40) in August 1998 against Shifnal Town!
After this ‘grand tour’ of Britain’s footballing outposts John tried a spell on the continent in 2008 playing for Aris Salonika (Greece) and Austria Vienna before hanging up his boots in 2009 . John has since worked as a youth and community worker in Birmingham whilst keeping links with the game as an agent with a Sports management company. His company ’Flying Postman productions’ also produces football themed evening entertainments (we featured one with CCFPA member Cyrille Regis in January 2011). John is a fairly regular visitor to the Ricoh and represented the Sky Blues and CCFPA in last year’s Midland Masters in Birmingham where unfortunately he sustained a worrying leg injury (which former Sky Blue star Danny Thomas now a professional physiotherapist kindly assisted in treating). Welcome John!!