Owain Fôn Williams

Williams made 22 appearances for Rochdale as they finished the season in 7th place.

He was released at the end of the season.

Owain Fôn Williams (born 17 March 1987) is a Welsh professional football coach and former professional footballer who is currently the goalkeeping coach for EFL League One side Fleetwood Town.

Williams played as a goalkeeper making 271 appearances in the English Football League, including 161 for Tranmere Rovers, also representing Crewe Alexandra, Stockport County, Bury, and Rochdale.

He has since played for Scottish clubs Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hamilton Academical and Dunfermline Athletic, and in the United States for Indy Eleven.

Williams joined Crewe Alexandra after impressing during a trial period when he had his spells at Premier League clubs Manchester United and Liverpool and was signed on scholarship forms in 2003.

He was first choice for the club's under-19 team but suffered a broken leg during his second year which halted his progress.

On 19 June 2006, Williams signed a two-year contract with the club.

Following his recovery, Williams was given the number twenty-one shirt and competed for the first choice goalkeeper with Ben Williams, but failed to start and spent the most of the season on the substitute bench.

Tired of the lack of first team appearances, Williams was offered a new contract, but the negotiations stalled and Williams left Crewe in July 2008 for a tribunal-set fee.

On 8 July 2008, he joined Stockport County following the expiration of his contract with Crewe.

Williams was linked with a move to Premier League clubs and Championship clubs before joining Stockport County.

After making his debut in a 1–1 draw with Huddersfield Town on the opening day of the 2008–09 season, Williams soon established himself as County's No.1, however in October 2008, he lost his first team place to on-loan keeper Fraser Forster.

Forster was kept in goal for six games throughout October and into early November before his loan spell expired and Williams returned to his Number One slot.

Until the middle of March, Williams was ever present for County, putting in match winning performances.

On 30 March, Williams underwent an operation on his shoulder which kept him out for the remainder of the 2008–09 season.

Despite making thirty-three appearances, Williams, nevertheless, was awarded Stockport County's Player of the Year.

His performance saw also him being linked with a move to Premier League side Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United and the club may sell him, as they faced financial problems.

Formerly a Welsh youth international, he was first called up to the senior Wales team in 2009, finally making his debut in 2015.

In the 2009–10 season, Williams made his return from injury in a friendly match, with a 5–0 win over Nostell Miners Welfare on 18 July 2009.

After being featured as a first choice goalkeeper for the rest of the friendly matches, Williams made his league return from injury, in the opening game of the season, in a 0–0 draw against Oldham Athletic, where he made a string of saves.

After the match, Manager Gary Ablett praised his performance.

However, the club struggled in the league and record twelve games without a point between 17 October 2009 and 19 January 2010.

This was later ended in the next game when the club drew 0–0 against Carlisle United and the game also saw Williams making a string of saves, including saving a shot from Adam Clayton's 30 yard drive.

Despite Williams' best efforts, the club were later relegated from League One.

As the club were relegated from League One, Williams was available to leave the club on a free transfer.

However, the club's attempts to let Williams leave the club in the summer failed and allowed him to leave the club.

Williams went on to make seven appearances in the 2010–11 season and was mostly on the substitution bench after losing his first choice to newly signing Matt Glennon.

On 28 October 2010, Williams joined local rivals Bury on a two-month-long emergency loan deal to replace the injured Cameron Belford.

Williams made his Bury debut on 30 October 2010, in a 3–1 win over Aldershot Town.

After making seven appearances for Bury, Williams returned to Stockport on 4 January 2011 after completion of his loan period.

On 20 January 2011, Williams joined another local rival, Rochdale, signing until the end of the season and he made his debut on 22 January as his new side beat Yeovil Town.

At the end of June 2011, sports media in the UK reported he was due to join Tranmere Rovers on a permanent contract.

This was confirmed by Tranmere on 1 July 2011, where he signed up on a two-year contract.

Despite suffering a thigh injury in the pre-season friendly, Williams made his competitive club debut on the first day of the 2011–12 season, starting the Football League match against Chesterfield.

He was a member of the Wales squad that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016.

Williams was born and raised in Penygroes, Gwynedd.

He attended Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle.

Williams has an interest in oil painting, and his work was exhibited in 2016.

He has painted since childhood and was encouraged to study it at university by his schoolteacher, Wil Jones, before he began his football career.