Lloyd-Williams still terrorising Welsh defences

Marc Lloyd-Williams is a one-off, a goalscoring phenomenon, a destroyer of defences. He's 36 and still holding down a regular place in the Welsh Premier League but the most impressive statistic beside his name is the figure eight that represents his goal return from the same number of league games this season.

Prolific scorer
It should be no surprise because Lloyd-Williams has been consistently on target ever since he first appeared in the league for Portmadog FC in 1992. In January 2005 he became the first to pass the 200 mark with a hat-trick for The New Saints FC against Caernarfon Town FC and in April this year he reached 300 with the winner for Porthmadog against Haverfordwest County AFC. The Airbus UK FC striker currently has 310 and his nearest challenger has mustered a paltry 177.

'Fit and healthy'
However, he told uefa.com that he is still hoping to reach another massive milestone before he hangs up his boots. "Hopefully if my legs allow me I can make it to 400," he said. "I reckon it would take me another two-and-a-half or three years after the end of this season so it's not out of the question. I look at players like Clayton Blackmore who were still playing in this league in their early 40s so why not me? I've always kept myself fit and healthy. I'm a box player and I'm lucky that my team-mates do my running for me. Obviously as you get older you lose some pace in your legs but experience tells you that the first couple of yards are in your head anyway and you learn to read the game better."

Top guns
Lloyd-Williams' start to the campaign, which earned him the first Player of the Month award, is all the more remarkable given that Airbus' first three league fixtures were all against the top guns – Llanelli AFC, Rhyl FC and TNS. They boast the best defences in the league but the striker put four goals past them.

Old friends
Rhyl and TNS are among his former clubs as are Porthmadog (two spells), Bangor City FC (three spells), Aberystwyth Town FC and Newtown AFC which means he doesn't have to wait long before coming up against old team-mates. "I've moved clubs a few times and that helps to give you a new lease of life," he added. "I've been fortunate to win league titles and the Welsh Cup with both Bangor and TNS and to qualify for Europe with Aberystwyth and Rhyl. Yes, it was disappointing when TNS and Rhyl decided to release me in recent seasons but they said I'd probably come back to haunt them with 20 goals the next season and that's what I did."