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The Legends of Kartiers FC ... Part 1

Name : Dave Williams

Age : 33

Position Played : Centre Back

Kartiers FC : 1993 - 2000

Q What is your full name and date and place of birth?  Dave Williams, 14th May 1974, Doncaster.

Q What is your marital Status? Married to the lovely Lesley

Q Do you have children? No

Q Where do you live now? Doncaster

Q What is your occupation now? Engineer for SKY TV

Q Occupation during your time with Kartiers? Builder & Doorman

Q Can you remember when you signed for Kartiers FC and how it all came about?

I worked with a bloke called Pete Crackles (who before he got injured was a really good midfielder) who knew Kendo and recommended me to him and he arranged for me to train with Karts. That was in 1993 I was 19.

Q How difficult was it going to a new club and did you know anyone at Kartiers before you signed?

The first training I went to was a bit awkward it was inside a sports hall which isn’t really suited to my play!! I knew a couple of the players from when we played at Selby Town together, Shammy, Stoggy & Martin O’Neill. All the rest of the players also made me feel welcome and we got on straight away.

Q Did you have a nickname during your career / time at Kartiers?

Big Willy, sorry girls, due to my name and height

Q Who did you play for before and after Kartiers?

The full list...Brayton under 12s, & 13s, Selby Town under 14s & 15s Camblesforth under 16s Barkston Ash district juniors, York district schools, Selby Town Reserves, Selby Railway Club, HOME (Karts!!) and 1 game for Tadcaster Albion. Too many Sunday teams to list! 

Q What do you remember about your Kartiers debut?  We won. And I thought Kendo was a bit weird.

Q Any games in particular stand out from your time at the club?

Last game of the 1994/1995 season, we needed to win to win the Division 2 title at Civil Service and Rufforth came to watch, if we lost they won the league. Seemed like we didn’t get out of our half and it was backs to the wall and battle, and win haha. I enjoyed most of the games I played in because we usually won and nobody liked us so they were always hard fought wins. Oh and one game that I remember had me, Stevie Watts, Mark Rowden & Kendo as the back four. At the kick off Kendo mentioned he really did feel quite sorry for the opposition and hoped they would recover soon, (they didn’t)

Q Best moment?

Any game we didn’t lose or when the team was together, what a laugh. And one night round town after winning a Division and winding everybody up. In the Black-a-Moor chanting ‘Sergeant Kendos’ barmy army’ for about ½ an hr.

Q Worst moment?

Every game we lost especially when a run of I think the first 18 games of a season came to an end on Bondgate Tip. Missing a game, (only ever through injury’s when I couldn’t walk, I missed weddings, holidays and even moving house for Kartiers). The injuries that stopped me playing.

Q Did you ever go on the legendary tour of Scarborough and if so what are your memories of those tours?

Drinking and laughing... quick list. Piling the whole of Rob Bolger’s room on top of him while he was unconscious, including wardrobe, plants, kettle, pictures, chairs, ornaments and coffee in his ear and toothpaste up his nose. Turning the light on in Singhys bedroom so the mad Scots he was pouring water on out of his window could see who it was. A prossy in I think the Blue Dolphin telling us if we could fill her knickers with money she’d take Rich Taylor round the back and make him a man, he ran away screaming. All 20 odd of us getting thrown out of a pub for standing in a row on the tables with our legs spread and Kendo sliding the full length on his belly knocking glasses every where. Kendo having a karaoke competition with a strange old man in a pub and he even bought a coat from a charity shop because he thought it gave him the edge!! Loads more oh and I think we played football as well, once at Wards FC, Sherburn, on the Sunday and we were still that drunk or hung over they played most of the match with 12 men and I think we won, & a 6 year old megging Mitch. Best till last Singhys goal against the Rangers club!! Does that make him a legend??

Q Who was the best player you played with and against during your time with Kartiers?

The best player I played with was Mark Lucas, played like me, gave his all and would die trying for the Karts. The best player I played against is a hard one; they seemed all the same to me. I suppose Willow from Osbaldwick he was very quick and a good diver and when I did catch him all he did was moan, usually about having to go to work on Monday injured!!

Q Who was the best player you played with during your whole career?

Kev Richardson at Selby Town taught me a lot at a young age.

Q Who was the best player you played against during your whole career?

A forward for Accrington Stanley who looked like a balding school teacher and made me look even more stupid than normal.

Q What were the highlights of your Kartiers career?

Promotion and winning games, but more than that… the craic and good times. I met some great lads most of them as daft as me.

Q Who was / were your best friend(s) during your time with Kartiers?

Boggy, Luke and the main man I’m really not Gay but I love him, Kendo.

Q Do you still keep in contact with any of your old Kartiers team-mates? Only at the games

Q What was the best ground you played in during your entire career? Bootham (Kit Kat) Crescent.

Q What ground(s) did you most enjoy playing at during your time at Kartiers?

Two extremes the Bowling Green, all that mud, wonderful for sliding in and Bubwith, even I could kick a ball straight on that surface. 

Q And which ground(s) did you least like?

Fulford, always rock hard and Bondgate Tip a pain to get there and when you did it was a tip with no loo roll and always windy. 

Q Who was the best manager you played under (and at which club)?

John Smith at Selby Town. Would have been Kendo but I didn’t agree with when he dropped me.

Q Who was the biggest influence on your football career?

Terry Mitchell RIP ex Selby Town, my first manager at Brayton. Taught me how to play and keep it hard but fair!

Q What was the best goal you scored for Kartiers?

Any of them, they were all at least 20 yarders, one was described in the paper as a 30 yard missile.

Q What was the best goal you saw another Kartiers player score?

One of Boggys pen’s, what an athlete (IJ - remember the goal he scored when we put Singhy in goal when we won the league versus Sheriff Hutton on Bondgate, 1994?)

Q What honours did you win during your career?

Promotion as champions on a few occasions and cups. Loads as a junior all together I have about 60 trophies.

Q You never really left Kartiers more simply drifted away from the club, can you recall your last game and why you stopped playing?

My last game was a final for the Reserves (IJ - Reserve League Cup Final v Dringhouses, 2000) ...we got trashed! Due to work I couldn’t play regularly and it wasn’t worth it with my dodgy knees, the doctors said if I carried on I’d be in a wheelchair very soon. Also because of my injuries I wasn’t able to keep fit.

Q Any regrets?

From Karts only playing when I was injured if I’d rested I might have played longer. And not hitting Russell! (IJ - Seagrave) 

Q Do you keep an eye on Kartiers progress / results and if so what do you think?

I think there’s a very good squad of players at Kartiers and there not far off from winning some silver ware. I saw two of the semi finals from last season and they should of won both they were definitely good enough, they just lacked the killer instinct and as well as needing to get stuck in a bit more I’ve never seen a team so quiet while on the pitch. With a bit of improvement there’s no reason way they can’t go all the way next season.

Q Do you ever watch Kartiers now or if not, when was the last time you saw them?

I go to every game I can but I work most weekends.

Q Who were the real characters at Kartiers during your time with the club?

Boggy, Luke and Mick Giles though he really was a bit weird, what we use to get up to in Boggys Cherry (I’ve got to keep this short so I cant tell the story of when we picked a hitch hiker up). Dave Shaw (always made me laugh when he wasn’t trying to brain me or grass me up!) and the man nobody likes unless you’ve played for him Kendo, he used to scare me sometimes. The squad now don’t know how lucky they are, he’s mellowed so much with age!

Q Do you have any regrets about your football career?

Not having enough confidence when I was younger and not taking the playing seriously enough when I had the chance to do things. Having to stop playing at 25 due to injuries and illness, I’d love to still be playing at Karts.

Q What do you think about being featured on a website?

If you mean Karts and not those with the fake pictures of me... I feel very honoured. Kartiers was my life and all I ever wanted to do was play football with them or go out drinking with them. I hope my ex team mates enjoyed it as much as me, what a ride. I’d do it all again. Cheers Ian.

Many thanks to Big Willy for taking the time out to talk to us, you can contact Dave via : Willy@kartiersfc.co.uk