Williams gets the send of he deserves as Rebels defeat Blues in pre-season

Slough Town finally got the chance to give Manny Williams the send off he deserved, and Burnham showed off their brand-new artificial surface at The Gore during Tuesday night’s 4-1 friendly win for the Rebels.

Williams, now a joint manager and player with Burnham, played a huge part in getting Slough promoted to the National League South, scoring the winner in their play-off defeat of Kings Lynn back in May 2018.

He was a terrific servant for the Rebels during his time at Arbour Park and managers Neil Baker and Jon Underwood presented him with a framed photo of him scoring and celebrating that memorable goal in the 2-1 victory over King's Lynn before the game kicked-off. He also received a trilby hat, which he used to wear whenever he scored.

Williams played 70 minutes of the warm-up match, which the Rebels comfortably won with goals from Ben Harris (two), Lee Togwell and Freddie Grant. The Blues grabbed a late consolation. Reflecting on the evening, Williams said: “The match was set up as just another pre-season friendly, but everything that happened was completely unbeknownst to me. Despite my affiliation to Slough, it was still unexpected. That was all Bakes and Unders, and everyone at Burnham who organised it behind my back really. It was a lovely touch. It was beautiful, a brilliant evening and a great turnout too.

“I started the game and played around 70 minutes. I’m still paying for it now as my legs are sore, but it was fitting that I started the game.

“I had a great time at Slough, and it was the perfect club to end my career with.”

His aim is to one day become manager of Sierra Leone, his home country, and he wants to soak in as much experience and knowledge during his time with the Blues before making steps to achieve that goal.

“Burnham have given me the opportunity to start my managerial career and I am working hard to learn as much as possible during my time with them,” he said.

“When I agreed to be joint manager with Ash it was a case of bringing in as many youngsters as possible, and I’ve tried to mentor them

“It’s not just about bringing these youngsters in to play; it’s about guiding them through the game and helping them off the pitch as well as on the pitch.

“I will obviously do as much as I possibly can to help the youngsters progress.”