Quick Facts
Biography
Gifton Ruben Elisha Noel-Williams (born 21 January 1980) is an English former footballer. He is currently the manager of Burnham.
Career
Born in Islington, Noel-Williams started his professional career at Watford where he spent a seven-year spell playing 127 games and scoring 43 goals. Aged 19, he was Watford's top goalscorer in the 1998–99 season, at the end of which they were promoted to the Premier League. However, his season ended in February 1999, when he seriously injured his knee after a challenge from Sunderland defender, Paul Butler. Arthritis in both of his knees restricted him to just three appearances during Watford's single season in the Premier League.
Noel-Williams joined Stoke City on a free transfer on 2 June 2003, playing 83 games and scoring 23 goals in two years. He was Stoke's top goalscorer in the 2004–05 season, scoring 11 goals.
On 14 June 2005 Noel-Williams joined Burnley on a free transfer. He spent the latter part of the 2005–06 season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion before returning to Burnley at the end of the season. He remained a Burnley player, despite being made available for a transfer throughout the close season, and, after an improvement in form was taken off the transfer list on 22 September 2006.
On 12 September 2006 Noel-Williams scored his first ever professional hat-trick in Burnley's 4–2 victory over Barnsley. He played 56 times for the Clarets scoring 7 goals, the last against Leeds United in November 2006.
On 31 January 2007 Noel-Williams joined Real Murcia for a fee of around £50,000, signing an 18-month deal and becoming only the second English player to represent the Spanish side, after Tom Thompson, who was player-coach in the 1920s. Upon Real Murcia's promotion to La Liga, Noel-Williams was transferred to Elche CF who finished 18 points behind Murcia in the Segunda División.
In 2008 Noel-Williams returned to England, signing a short-term contract with League One side Millwall. He was subsequently loaned to another club in the division, Yeovil Town
In January 2009 Noel-Williams moved to the United States to join American team Austin Aztex FC, signing a two-year contract. The club has a co-operation agreement with Noel-Williams' former club, Stoke City.
He was released by the Aztex at the end of the 2009 season, having made 16 appearances and scored three goals for the Texas club. He signed with the amateur DFW Tornados of the USL Premier Development League in 2010, but the club folded at the end of the 2010 season. As of 2011 he was an assistant soccer coach at Brentwood Christian School, a private academy in Austin.
After nearly five years out of football, Noel-Williams came out of retirement to sign for Southern Football League side Daventry Town in February 2015. Noel-Williams reunited with ex Watford teammate and Daventry Town boss Allan Smart in the process.
Coaching career
Following retirement, Noel-Williams worked as a coach at Westfield Academy school in Watford, before being appointed as the Reserves and Under-18's manager at Northwood in June 2016. Noel-Williams stepped down from this role, however, in September 2016. On 26 September, Noel-Williams was announced as the new manager of Burnham.
Career statistics
- Sourced from Gifton Noel-Williams profile at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Watford | 1996–97 | Second Division | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 3 |
| 1997–98 | Second Division | 38 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 11 | |
| 1998–99 | First Division | 28 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 10 | |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2000–01 | First Division | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 8 | |
| 2001–02 | First Division | 29 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 9 | |
| 2002–03 | First Division | 16 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 6 | |
| Total | 169 | 33 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 193 | 41 | ||
| Stoke City | 2003–04 | First Division | 42 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 10 |
| 2004–05 | Championship | 46 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 13 | |
| Total | 88 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 23 | ||
| Burnley | 2005–06 | Championship | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 2 |
| 2006–07 | Championship | 23 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 | |
| Total | 52 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 56 | 7 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2005–06 | Championship | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Real Murcia | 2006–07 | Segunda División | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
| Elche | 2007–08 | Segunda División | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 5 |
| Millwall | 2008–09 | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Yeovil Town (loan) | 2008–09 | League One | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Career Total | 354 | 74 | 16 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 386 | 82 | ||
- A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Football League Trophy.