Express & Star

West Bromwich Albion mourn death of former player Stuart Williams

Albion were today in mourning after the death of their former player Stuart Williams at the age of 83.

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The ex-Wales full-back – the Baggies' second-most capped player – moved to The Hawthorns from Wrexham in 1950, making 226 League appearances in 12 years with the Baggies before a £15,000 move to Southampton in 1962.

He was Albion's most capped player until last season, playing 33 of his 43 internationals while at The Hawthorns, before Zoltan Gera overtook him. The highlight of his long career saw him play in the 1958 World Cup for Wales, where his side reached the quarter-finals against Pele's Brazil in Sweden.

He was even name-checked by Pele in the Brazilian's autobiography "My Life and the Beautiful Game", written in 1977, where he talks of Williams' "excellent play".

Domestically, Williams helped Albion finish runners-up to League champions Wolves in 1954 but missed out on the Baggies' FA Cup-winning team against Preston in the same season.

After leaving Albion, the Welshman played 165 games for Southampton from 1962 to 1966. In his final year there, he helped the club gain promotion to the First Division, making 35 appearances as the Saints finished runners-up.

He retired at the end of that season, and returned to The Hawthorns among various coaching and management jobs, also serving Aston Villa and Scottish club Morton Albion.

Williams also had a brief spell as manager of Iranian club Payhaan in 1970-71 before going back to Southampton in 1971 as assistant to legendary boss Ted Bates.

After two years he left The Dell for Norway where he coached Stavanger before returning to the UK as a scout for Carlisle United, then went abroad again to manage Norwegian club Viking FK in 1974.

Returning to the Southampton area, he worked as a sales representative at two tyre companies then later as financial controller at a transport business.

Earlier this year he organised a reunion of former Saints starts.

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