Chris Bart-Williams
Encyclopedia
Christopher Gerald Bart-Williams (born June 16, 1974 in Freetown
, Sierra Leone
) is a Sierra Leone
an-born English
former footballer. His position was defence
or midfield
.
Although born in Freetown
, Sierra Leone
, Bart-Williams grew up in North London
and attended St. David's School and St Katharine
in Hornsey
. He represented his school, borough (Haringey), county (Middlesex), and adopted country (England
) at youth level and went on to play for England under 21s
and was called up to train with the senior squad although he never won a full England cap.
He is currently an assistant coach for SoccerPlus Connecticut
, a women's team in the WPSL
in America. He also will be working at Quinnipiac University
as an assistant coach for the soccer team.
He is not to be confused with his brother, also named Chris, who is 6'7" and plays basketball professionally.
. Chris made 36 appearances with the club and scored twice.
showed interest in him and subsequently bought him for the record sum of £275,000 in 1991, the year they won promotion to the Football League First Division
and were also winners of the Football League Cup
.
Once with Sheffield Wednesday, Bart-Williams got a place in the first team immediately despite his young age. He began his career playing as an offensive midfielder
.
Bart-Williams played for Wednesday as a substitute in the 1993 FA Cup Final
replacing Chris Waddle
in the first game and Roland Nilsson
towards the end of the replay.
He also helped the Owls reach the Football League Cup
semi-finals in the 1993-94 season
and also appeared in their short-lived UEFA Cup
campaign (the club's first European run since the 1960s
) the previous season.
for the sum of £2.5 million. Bart-Williams had a successful spell with Forest, and even though he played as a defensive midfielder he managed to score a number of goals, and was often clinical from free kicks and penalties.
During a game in 2000, Forest tried to experiment their formation by playing 3-5-2 and played Bart-Williams as a sweeper, this experiment turned out to be a successful one as Nottingham Forest won 5–0.
In 2001, Forest found themselves in financial difficulties and had to sell their better players. Bart-Williams turned down moves to Southampton
and Birmingham City
and was consigned to the reserves at Forest after the club's directors banned manager Paul Hart
from picking him.
, initially on a short-term contract. In May 2002 he signed a new two year deal at the club.
, initially on loan in September 2003, and then permanently for the rest of the 2003–04
season. He was released the end of the season and decided to move away from English football.
in September 2004. He had been linked with a return to Nottingham Forest, although the rumour was denied by Forest.
to the club, on August 6, 2005 Maltese
team Marsaxlokk
signed Bart-Williams. But he managed only eight appearances and was sent home only two months into his three-year contract, which he has taken the matter to the international court of human rights regarding the remaining 2 years and 10 months, totalling £12,000 (inc relegation bonus).
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
) is a Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
an-born English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former footballer. His position was defence
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
or midfield
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Although born in Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Bart-Williams grew up in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
and attended St. David's School and St Katharine
Greig City Academy
Greig City Academy is a co-educational secondary school within the English academy programme, in the borough of Haringey. The successor to The School of St. David and St...
in Hornsey
Hornsey
Hornsey is a district in London Borough of Haringey in north London in England. Whilst Hornsey was formerly the name of a parish and later a municipal borough of Middlesex, today, the name refers only to the London district. It is an inner-suburban area located north of Charing Cross.-Locale:The ...
. He represented his school, borough (Haringey), county (Middlesex), and adopted country (England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
) at youth level and went on to play for England under 21s
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
and was called up to train with the senior squad although he never won a full England cap.
He is currently an assistant coach for SoccerPlus Connecticut
SoccerPlus Connecticut
SoccerPlus Connecticut is an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2006. The team is a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League, the third tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team plays in the North Division of the East Conference.The team plays its home games at the...
, a women's team in the WPSL
Women's Premier Soccer League
The Women's Premier Soccer League is a national women's soccer league in the United States and Puerto Rico, and is on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the W-League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
in America. He also will be working at Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, United States at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park...
as an assistant coach for the soccer team.
He is not to be confused with his brother, also named Chris, who is 6'7" and plays basketball professionally.
Leyton Orient
When he was just 16 years old, Bart-Williams launched his professional career with Leyton OrientLeyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
. Chris made 36 appearances with the club and scored twice.
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
showed interest in him and subsequently bought him for the record sum of £275,000 in 1991, the year they won promotion to the Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
and were also winners of the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
.
Once with Sheffield Wednesday, Bart-Williams got a place in the first team immediately despite his young age. He began his career playing as an offensive midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Bart-Williams played for Wednesday as a substitute in the 1993 FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
replacing Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland "Chris" Waddle is a former footballer from England. He played for a number of clubs in the 1980s and 90s, including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday in England, and Olympique de Marseille in France...
in the first game and Roland Nilsson
Roland Nilsson
Roland Nilsson is a Swedish football manager and the current manager of FC Copenhagen. As a player, Nilsson played 116 games for Sweden, making him second only to Thomas Ravelli in international appearances for Sweden...
towards the end of the replay.
He also helped the Owls reach the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
semi-finals in the 1993-94 season
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
and also appeared in their short-lived UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
campaign (the club's first European run since the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
) the previous season.
Nottingham Forest
After four years, he moved to Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
for the sum of £2.5 million. Bart-Williams had a successful spell with Forest, and even though he played as a defensive midfielder he managed to score a number of goals, and was often clinical from free kicks and penalties.
During a game in 2000, Forest tried to experiment their formation by playing 3-5-2 and played Bart-Williams as a sweeper, this experiment turned out to be a successful one as Nottingham Forest won 5–0.
In 2001, Forest found themselves in financial difficulties and had to sell their better players. Bart-Williams turned down moves to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and was consigned to the reserves at Forest after the club's directors banned manager Paul Hart
Paul Hart
Paul Hart is an English football manager and former football defender, who is currently Academy Director at Charlton Athletic. The son of Johnny Hart, a football inside forward and manager, Hart had five-year spells with both Blackpool and Leeds United, while also playing for Nottingham Forest and...
from picking him.
Charlton Athletic
In December 2001, Bart-Williams left Forest, signing for Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, initially on a short-term contract. In May 2002 he signed a new two year deal at the club.
Ipswich Town
After spending two seasons with Charlton, Bart-Williams moved to Ipswich TownIpswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, initially on loan in September 2003, and then permanently for the rest of the 2003–04
2003-04 in English football
The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
season. He was released the end of the season and decided to move away from English football.
APOEL
Next for Bart-Williams was a move to APOEL in CyprusCyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
in September 2004. He had been linked with a return to Nottingham Forest, although the rumour was denied by Forest.
Marsaxlokk
After unsuccessful attempts to lure Paul GascoignePaul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
to the club, on August 6, 2005 Maltese
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
team Marsaxlokk
Marsaxlokk F.C.
Marsaxlokk Football Club is a Maltese football club from the town of Marsaxlokk, which currently plays in the Maltese Premier League. The club was founded in 1949...
signed Bart-Williams. But he managed only eight appearances and was sent home only two months into his three-year contract, which he has taken the matter to the international court of human rights regarding the remaining 2 years and 10 months, totalling £12,000 (inc relegation bonus).
Honours
- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
: 1998 - Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: Runner-up 19931993 Football League Cup FinalThe 1993 Coca Cola Cup Final took place on 18 April 1993 at Wembley Stadium, and was played between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday. Arsenal won 2–1 in normal time, in what was the first of three Wembley finals between the two sides that season; Arsenal and Wednesday also met in the FA Cup... - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: Runner-up 1993 - FIFA World Youth Championship: Third place 19931993 FIFA World Youth ChampionshipThe 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Australia for second time from 5 to 20 March 1993. The 1993 championship was the 9th contested. The tournament took place in five venues: Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide....