Gifton Noel-Williams

Infobox Football biography
playername = Gifton Noel-Williams


fullname = Gifton Ruben Elisha Noel-Williams
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1980|1|21|df=y
cityofbirth = Islington, London
countryofbirth = England
height = height|ft=6|in=3
position = Striker
currentclub = Millwall
clubnumber = 31
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1996–2003
2003–2005
2005–2007
2006
2007
2007–2008
2008–
clubs = Watford
Stoke City
Burnley
→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)
Real Murcia
Elche Millwall
caps(goals) = 169 (33)
088 (23)
051 0(7)
007 0(2)
010 0(4)
021 0(5)
001 0(0)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
pcupdate = October 4 2008
ntupdate =

Gifton Ruben Elisha Noel-Williams (born 21 January 1980 in Islington, London) is an English professional footballer. He currently plays for Coca-Cola League 1 side Millwall.

Playing career

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, as they were promoted to the Premier League. However, his season ended in February 1999, when he was seriously injured by a challenge from Sunderland defender, Paul Butler and as a result of the injury he now has arthritis in both his knees, which has hindered his career.

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 the 14 June 2005 Noel-Williams joined Burnley on a free transfer, but struggled to score goals. 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. After a disappointing season in which Noel-Williams scored just 4 goals in 21 games, he was informed by Elche's sporting director, Jesús de Huerta, that the club would not be renewing his contract.

It was reported on August 18, 2008, that Noel-Williams may join Bnei Sakhnin FC of Israel, but this move did not materialise, with him eventually signing a short-term contract with Millwall.

Season by Season

External links

*soccerbase|9856|Gifton Noel-Williams
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/6400263.stm BBC Sport Article - Gifton's place in the sun]

Persondata
NAME = Gifton Noel-Williams
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Footballer
DATE OF BIRTH = 21 January 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH = Islington, London, England
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =