One of Havefordwest County’s best home grown players and characters Cecil ‘Punch’ Williams has died at the age of 86, writes Gordon Thomas.

Cecil played in an era that is definitely unrecognisable from today’s pampered and inflated wages players. He played with the old pig bladder laced-up ball, when it got wet, it weighed a ton, and if it was struck with force it could knock you out if you didn’t header correctly. 

For many seasons he turned out for the Bluebirds, scoring many times at the original Bridge Meadow, if there was high tide back then the whole pitch was immersed in water, it cut up badly, and most of the time players of that long lost generation were happy playing ankle deep in mud.

Asked why was he called Punch? “Can I put it bluntly, he used to hit first and then talk after,” brother Mackie told Telegraph Sport.

Raised in Haverfordwest, Punch played many times for Prendergast Villa in Summer Cup competitions held in the county, an exceptionally gifted player and as a 14-year-old raw kid was scouted and sent for trials with professional outfit Brighton & Hove Albion.

Punch trained regularly with the English League Club in 1948, don’t forget this was an era shortly after the Second World War, when there was still food and clothing rationing in local households, you can only imagine a fresh faced Punch catching the train from Haverfordwest to London, an epic journey for a naive and probably terrified teenager, and there wasn’t any spare money in those days, things were tight.

The highly-rated striker only lasted a couple of months before he understandably suffered home sickness and returned home, but one of the stories told in pubs was he met the late great Sir Stanley Matthews, who at the time was training with the England squad at Brighton, and the former England legend told young Punch he was paid the princely sum of £29 every time he pulled on an England jersey. A lot of money in those days.

After playing many seasons for the Bluebirds – in 1959-60 season former Tottenham Hotspur and England international left back Arthur Willis joined Punch and his team-mates at the Bridge Meadow. There was a falling out in the Bluebirds dressing room, and an impulsive Punch decided to leave and sign for arch-rivals Milford United.

When the Robins next played the Bluebirds in front of a large crowd, ironically it was Punch who had the last laugh, scoring the winner, it gave the Robins a slender 1-0 victory over Bluebirds.

Cecil ‘Punch’ Williams had a good innings and was one of those ‘larger than life’ characters who will be sorely missed by his family and friends.

The funeral will take place on Monday, January 21, at St David & St Patrick Catholic Church, Haverfordwest, with a service at 11am, and followed by cremation at Parc Gwyn Crematorium, Narberth, at 12.15pm.