Swansea City has paid tribute to one of its greatest servants, Herbie Williams, who has died at the age of 85.
The club described the Swansea-born forward as “one of the club’s most loyal servants” and “a gracious, humble man” with a deep love for both city and club.
Williams was a one-club man in an era when that meant something — spending his entire professional career with his hometown side.
Born Herbert John Williams in Swansea on 6 October 1940, he came through as a teenager and went on to stay for 17 seasons.
He played for the club from 1958 to 1975, a spell that ran from the old Swansea Town through to the Swansea City era after the town gained city status.
An inside forward, Williams made 513 Football League appearances for the Swans — placing him among the highest appearance-makers in the club’s history.
He also found the net regularly, scoring more than 100 league goals across his time at the Vetch Field.
His performances earned him three caps for Wales, including appearances in World Cup qualifying matches.
Williams played alongside a generation of much-loved Swans names of the 1960s, in a side fondly remembered by supporters who watched them at the Vetch.
After leaving Swansea in 1975, he had a brief spell in Australia as player-coach of Balgownie Rangers, near Wollongong.
He later returned to live in Swansea, the city that remained his home.
In its tribute, the club said Williams would be “greatly missed by all who knew him”.
“Everyone at Swansea City sends their sincerest condolences to his friends and family at this sad time,” the club added.
Tributes from supporters have already begun to flow, remembering both the player and the man.
For many older fans, his name belongs in the same breath as the club greats of his generation — a local boy who gave his entire career to his hometown club.
