Blades-Mad feature former Rotherham United and Watford midfielder Lee Williamson in our player-profiles section.
DoB: 7 June 1982
POB: Alvaston, Derby
Height: 5ft 10inch
Debut: 20/10/2009 at Blackpool (0-3) (sub)
Clubs: Mansfield Town (1999-04, 127 (38) + 3), Northampton Town (2004-05, 37 (6) + 2), Rotherham United (2005-07, 59 (3) + 10), Watford (2007-09, 64 (14) + 5), Preston North End (loan, 2009, 5 (0) + 1), Sheffield United (2009-??)
Williamson began his football career with Mansfield Town in the Football League Division Three – making his debut in a 4-0 victory over Shrewsbury Town in September 1999. He entered the field as a substitute; replacing Michael Boulding with two minutes remaining.
He made a further three substitute appearances for the Stags under then boss Bill Dearden and finally made his full debut in November 2000 – a 4-0 FA Cup exit at Peterborough. In all he played twenty times for the Field Mill club during the course of the 2000/01 campaign.
The following season he had established him in the first team and proved a vital asset as the Stags finished third in the league; piping Cheltenham Town to the last automatic promotion spot.
It was during that season that Willo scored all three of his Town goals; his first ever Football League goal coming in October 2001 in a Friday night victory (3-2) at home to Leyton Orient. He later netted a brace at Lincoln City in a 4-1 win.
Keith Curle had taken the Stags into Division Two after replacing Dearden as manager in January 2002, but despite winning on the opening day of the season at home to Plymouth (4-3) they never found their feet at a higher level and slumped to a 23rd place finish and back into the bottom tier of the Football League.
He was also on the wrong end of two red cards that season; firstly a straight red after only two minutes in a League Cup tie at home to Derby County and secondly two bookings in a 5-4 defeat to Bristol City.
Neither the less the Stags soldered on and an opportunity to regain promotion at the first attempt arose when they finished fifth in the table and earned a place in the play-offs.
Williamson again had managed to receive a sending off during that season; this time at Swansea City in a 4-1 defeat.
Mansfield Town went into the second leg of their play-offs having won 2-0 at Northampton in the previous leg; but the Cobblers over shadowed their opponents and forced extra-time with a 3-1 win; but the Stags stayed strong and won the resulting penalty shoot-out 5-4 and faced Huddersfield Town in the final.
The game; played at the Millennium Stadium finished 0-0; although Williamson saw his goal marked off for the Stags – but it was the Terriers who held their nerve at the last and won 4-1 on penalties.
He remained with Mansfield into the new 2004/05 season and saw him sent off again at Oxford (two yellows) before making his final appearance for Town in a 2-0 defeat at Grimsby Town in late August – he signed for Northampton Town; a rivals Division Two side.
He made his full debut at Sixfields in a 0-0 draw against Nott’s County; scoring his first goal for his new club in a 3-1 win at Torquay United in the Football League Trophy and he represented himself as one of the leading midfielders in that Division.
In January he scored in their 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Southampton and in the domestic league he play-offs woes continued as despite qualifying for the end of season tournament a place in the final was dashed by Southend United who claimed a 1-0 aggregate victory.
However he would play League One football the following season after completing a full transfer to South Yorkshire outfit Rotherham United in the summer of 2005.
He made his Millers debut on the opening day of the new season; a 1-0 defeat at home to Walsall in what was a difficult season for the club; finishing just two points off the relegation zone – only achieved by with a 0-0 draw on the last day against MK Dons who suffered the drop zone fate!
Willo scored his first goal for his new club at Bradford City in a 2-1 win; though he had previously seen two bookings in a game at Barnsley (1-1) a month previous – it was his fifth sending off in professional football.
He later scored further goals against; Doncaster Rovers (1-0), Gillingham (1-1) and Bournemouth (2-0) has again he gained reputation as one of the clubs better players at that level and wasn’t long before he was being watched by higher clubs – Sheffield United being one of them.
Williamson scored six times for the Millers in the first half of the 2006-07 campaign before leaving the club in the bottom four after a 10 point deduction after falling into administration. On 5th January 2007 he, and Will Hoskins joined Premiership outfit Watford in a combined fee of £1,200,000.
The midfielder then made his Hornets debut a few weeks later as a substitute in a 4-0 defeat at Manchester United. He also played at Bramall Lane in a 1-0 defeat as the club suffered relegation at the first attempt and were joined in the Championship by Charlton Athletic and the Blades.
He scored his first goal for the Hornets just two games into the new season; a 1-0 home win over future club Sheffield United as the Vicarage Road club showed serious business under Aidy Boothroyd in gaining promotion at the first attempt.
Come Christmas the ‘Yellow Army’ were second in the table and looked destined to fly back into the top flight; Williamson had been sent off (again!) earlier in the season at Scunthorpe, but a turn-around in results saw Watford slip down the table – finishing a respectable sixth.
They had however qualified for the play-offs, but all hopes of reaching the final were dashed when they left Vicarage Road with a 2-0 defeat to Hull City; Darius Henderson scored to give the Hornets hope in the second leg but the raging Tigers replied with four of their own to win the tie 6-1 on aggregate.
During November 2008 he scored back to back goals against Swansea City in the matter of three days – both at the Liberty Stadium; firstly in a 3-1 league defeat and the second a 1-0 win in the League Cup which saw them through to the Quarter-Final stage – only to lose (1-2) to Tottenham Hotspur at the Vic.
In March 2009 he opted to join promotion chasing Preston North End on loan until the remainder of the season and had a glorious time at Deepdale; making his debut in a 1-1 draw at Bristol City.
He scored the first goal in a surprise 6-0 win over Cardiff City as the Lilywhites made a late and desperate dash towards the play-offs; they then won 2-1 at Birmingham City – but Williamson was very unfortunate to be sent off after a tussle with Lee Bowyer and he missed the final game against QPR which a 2-1 win saw them nip last top six spot ahead of Cardiff.
They faced third placed Sheffield United in the semi-finals of the play-offs; with Williamson absent through suspension they drew 1-1 in the home leg before being railroaded in the second. Greg Halford headed home in a 1-0 win.
He returned to Vicarage Road and was swiftly transferred to Bramall Lane who had lost the play-off final to Burnley. He was snapped up for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £500,000, signing a three year deal.
Williamson joined the team for pre-season preparations in Malta but in a friendly fixture he was forced to leave the field early due to a back injury; an injury which forced him out for months and had to wait until October till he made his United debut – appearing as a substitute at Blackpool (0-3).
He went onto score four times for the Blades; his first coming at home to Crystal Palace in a 2-0 win, he also scored at Hillsborough in a 1-1 draw – his free-kick levelling the scores.
His career with the Blades has seemingly been hampered by injury (back) and was forced out of the game after that Steel City draw and didn’t return to action until 1stJanuary 2011 in a 4-2 defeat at Burnley.
He has however a poor discipline on the field; he was sent off for two book able offences in a 3-0 loss at Ipswich Town in February 2011 and five weeks later a straight red at former club Watford; also a 3-0 loss – his ninth career sending off.
Updated: March 2011
