He’s no ordinary Joe – defender Williams is one of the steadiest performers around

Every football team needs a Joe Williams.

A steady, dependable defender, who can also attack and is an inspiration to all the players around him.

Yesterday saw Joe celebrate his 32nd birthday.

For the past six seasons, the popular full-back has played for Caernarfon Town.

He won two Cymru Alliance League titles with the Canaries – in 2015-16 and 2017-18 – and is now in his third campaign for the club in the Cymru Premier.

Joe is probably playing as well as he has ever done in his career. He has never looked out of place in the top flight and has already made 69 appearances for the Cofis since they returned to the national league in 2018-19.

Born in St Asaph on February 17, 1989, Joe wore the colours of Glan Conwy, where he won the FAW Trophy in 2009-10, and Conwy Borough before signing for Llandudno in January 2013.

In 2014-15, he was part of the history-making Tudno squad which won the tier-two Cymru Alliance League title, securing a first-ever promotion for the club to the Welsh Premier.

When Iwan Williams took over as Caernarfon Town manager in 2015, he made former Llandudno team-mate Joe Williams one of his first summer signings at The Oval.

The dependable Joe went on to make 35 first team appearances in a 2015-16 season which saw Town roar to a Cymru Alliance League title and Huws Gray Cup double.

Unfortunately, the Canaries were refused permission to elevate to the Cymru Premier due to a licensing issue.

The following season, Joe remained on board as the Ovalites made it back-to-back league cup successes.

And in 2017-18 came a second Cymru Alliance championship triumph in three seasons.

Joe featured in 32 matches – celebrating his third career Cymru Alliance title – and this time Town made no mistake as they secured a return to the top flight for the first time since 2009.

Caernarfon’s first two seasons back in the Cymru Premier saw them achieve consecutive top six finishes with the experienced Joe proving as steady a performer as ever.

This season he is first-team vice-captain and before coronavirus caused the campaign to be suspended in December, the Cofis were again on course for a top six placing and a stab at the Europa League play-offs.

Highly respected as a true team player and always a welcoming presence for new faces at The Oval, it would be no more than Joe deserves if he could add playing in Europe to his impressive career CV.