| Will Evans | |
| Fullname: | William Albert Evans |
| Birth Date: | 1 July 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Llangedwyn, Wales |
| Position: | Winger, striker |
| Currentclub: | Mansfield Town |
| Clubnumber: | 11 |
| Youthclubs1: | Shrewsbury Town |
| Clubs1: | Llangedwyn |
| Years2: | 2016–2020 |
| Clubs2: | Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| Caps2: | 107 |
| Goals2: | 20 |
| Years3: | 2020–2022 |
| Clubs3: | Bala Town |
| Caps3: | 55 |
| Goals3: | 24 |
| Years4: | 2022–2024 |
| Clubs4: | Newport County |
| Caps4: | 91 |
| Goals4: | 23 |
| Years5: | 2024– |
| Clubs5: | Mansfield Town |
| Caps5: | 2 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2022 |
| Nationalteam1: | Wales C |
| Nationalcaps1: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 2 |
| Club-Update: | 16:52, 17 August 2024 (UTC) |
| Ntupdate: | 15:45, 31 July 2022 (UTC) |
William Albert Evans (born 1 July 1997) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for club Mansfield Town, as a winger and striker.
Evans was born in the Welsh village of Llangedwyn and progressed through the Shrewsbury Town youth system.[1] Evans is from a farming family and, after being released by Shrewsbury, worked on the family farm with his father and brothers whilst playing for the Llangedwyn village team in the Welsh fifth tier.[2]
Evans then enrolled at Cardiff Metropolitan University and played for their football team in the Cymru Premier league after being encourage by a cousin to go for a trial.[2] After finishing his degree in 2020, Evans applied to be a teacher before being signed by fellow Cymru Premier club Bala Town.[2]
At the age of 24, Evans turned professional after signing with EFL League Two club Newport County in May 2022 for an undisclosed fee,[3] on a two-year contract with an option for a further year.[4] He made his football league debut for Newport on 30 July 2022 in the starting line up for the 1–1 League Two draw against Sutton United.[5] Evans scored his first goal for Newport on 24 August 2022 in the 3–2 EFL Cup second round win against Portsmouth.[6]
On 28 January 2024, Evans scored Newport's second goal to equalise in their eventual 4–2 FA Cup fourth round defeat to Manchester United of the Premier League.[7] [8] [9] Evans finished the 2023–24 season with 21 League Two goals, and 25 in all competitions. The club triggered a one-year contract extension in May 2024.[10]
On 6 August 2024, Evans signed for EFL League One team Mansfield Town on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[11]
On 1 April 2022, Evans made his debut for the Wales C team, scoring twice in the 4–0 win against England C.[12] In September 2023 his Newport manager Graham Coughlan said Evans should be called-up by the Wales national team.[13]
Evans was deployed by Newport County manager James Rowberry at wing-back for his first two League Two matches,[14] thereafter being selected as a striker alongside Omar Bogle.[15] From October 2022 new Newport County manager Graham Coughlan utilised Evans both as a striker and a wing-back,[16] playing him as a striker in the 2023–24 season due to his goalscoring form.[13]
| + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | 2016–17 | Welsh Premier League | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 5 | ||
| 2017–18 | Welsh Premier League | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 31 | 2 | |||
| 2018–19 | Welsh Premier League | 29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 35 | 7 | |||
| 2019–20 | Cymru Premier | 23 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 25 | 8 | |||
| Total | 107 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 22 | |||
| Bala Town | 2020–21 | Cymru Premier | 31 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 13 | ||
| 2021–22 | Cymru Premier | 24 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 11 | |||
| Total | 55 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 24 | |||
| Newport County | 2022–23 | League Two | 45 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 52 | 4 | |
| 2023–24 | League Two | 46 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 55 | 25 | ||
| Total | 91 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 107 | 29 | |||
| Career total | 253 | 67 | 14 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 284 | 75 | |||
Individual