Williams amongst trio in Dundalk talks

Steve Williams could be set for a return to the club where he started out his League of Ireland career almost twelve years ago as the Welsh goalkeeper has held talks with Dundalk. Centre-half Liam Burns and left-back Dave Rogers are also close to putting pen to paper and already trained with the squad this morning (Saturday) as the border outfit kicked off their pre-season preparations.

While Burns was part of the Bohemians side which won the League and Cup double last season, Williams played with Sporting Fingal in the First Division as they finished third, nine points behind champions Dundalk. Rogers was also at Fingal until July before he was recalled to Saint Patrick’s Athletic as the Inchicore club fought on four fronts.

Burns is believed to have been offered a new contract at Dalymount Park, however, it appears now that he has rejected that deal in favour of a move to the Lilywhites. Rogers, meanwhile, applied for the vacant manager’s position at relegated Cobh Ramblers and was thought to be a leading contender for that job, but word on Williams’ future has been quiet after his contract at Fingal was not renewed.

Williams arrived in Ireland in 1997 as he signed for Dundalk from Notts County after previously spending four years at Cardiff City. Despite an impressive two seasons at Oriel Park, Williams was unable to help the Louth club beat the drop and he moved on to Shelbourne where he enjoyed magnificent success as he won five Premier Division winners medals and one FAI Cup in eight seasons.

Since leaving the Reds at the end of 2006, he has spent one-season spells at both Bray Wanderers and Fingal but now the 34-year-old could fittingly finish his career at Dundalk. He would also renew old rivalries with Chris Bennion, who was unable to force Williams out of the Shels team during his eighteen-month stay at Tolka Park which came to an end with a move to Dundalk in early 2004.

Rogers is also acquainted with Williams from his time at Shels as he collected three league medals in four seasons with the Dublin club between 2003 and 2006. That was his longest ever stay at a club as he had previously played for nine different clubs in eight seasons. His most memorable moment for Shels came in August 2004 when he scored a sensational volley against Hajduk Split in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.

After his departure from Shels, he returned to his nomad form as he played with Derry City, Saint Patrick’s Athletic and Fingal. Now, he is set to make Dundalk his fourth club in three seasons as he has been called upon to replace another former Shels team-mate of his, David Crawley, who was released by the Lilywhites shortly after their First Division title success last November.

While Williams and Rogers will be well known to Dundalk supporters, Liam Burns will be less so, though he won the First Division with Sligo Rovers in 2005. It was at Sligo that Burns first worked under Sean Connor as he was signed from Forest Green Rovers. Burns, who, like Connor, was born in Belfast, remained at Sligo for their first season back in the top flight.

Despite a fifth-placed finish, he left the Westerners in favour of a move to Bohs, where Connor took over from Gareth Farrelly. After a third-placed finish, Burns’ association with Connor finally came to an end after three seasons as Pat Fenlon took the Bohs job and led the Gypsies to the double, a success which Burns was very much part of. Despite that, though, the 30-year-old defender looks to have decided to rejoin forces with his old boss at Dundalk as the Lilywhites’ squad slowly, but surely, takes shape.