A look back on other internationals who have played for Weston AFC

Watkins' fairytale run continued when he came off the bench to score the fifth goal in a 5-0 win against San Marino at Wembley.

But he isn’t the first player associated with Weston to represent their country. In fact there have been six other players.

Roger Lee, Pete Monks, Ludovic Quistin, Theo Wharton, Adrian Williams and Manny Williams complete the set.

Roger Lee signed for Clevedon Town from Weston during the 2014-15 season and would go on to make seven appearances for The Seasiders. (Image: pitchero.com/clubs/clevedon Town)

Roger Lee:

Lee has played for a host of clubs, 13 to be exact, and has so far won 23 caps for Bermuda.

But, back in 2014, he made his one appearance for Weston, against St Albans City in October, after signing from Bermudian Premier Division side Robin Hood before moving to Clevedon Town, where he remained until 2015.

Weston's seventh placed finish during the 2012/13 season remains their highest ever position in the club's history. (Image: Archant)

Pete Monks:

Monks arrived from Bridgwater Town in 2012, following a two-year spell living in Australia between 2009 and 2011.

The left-back was part of the Seagulls squad which finished in their highest league position of seventh in the Conference South a year later.

And after spending time with Paulton Town and Chippenham Town during the 2013-14 season he moved on to The Bluebirds at the end of the campaign after 33 matches and two goals.

It was at the Wiltshire-based outfit where he picked up his five caps for British Virgin Islands.

“It all came through my friend Daniel Barker, who’s a former pro at Yeovil. His cousin works over in the British Virgin Islands for their FA and contacted him asking him if he knew any players that could come out there to play,” he told the Swindon Advertiser at the time of his first call-up in 2015.

“When he sent me a message, I thought it had to be a wind-up and he eventually messaged me again saying that he needed a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

“To be honest, I didn’t really tell too many people about it because I thought that it had to be a joke, but it all happened really last-minute and a load of us from England ended up flying out there. We qualified through our British passports.

“It’s the kind of opportunity that you can’t say ‘no’ to. It’s the kind of place that you’d love to go on holiday to, so to go there to play football is just amazing.”

Ludovic Quistin in action for FC United of Manchester the last club of 18 sides he played for in his career. (Image: http://fcunited.ru/en/profiles/quistin_ludovic/)

Ludovic Quistin:

The most tragic name on this list is Quistin, who died four days after his 28th birthday on May 28, 2012 in a traffic accident.

He only made eight appearances for Weston in 2008 but it was one year earlier when Quistin, who was the cousin of former Arsenal captain and France defender William Gallas, picked up his first cap for Guadeloupe during their CONCACAF Gold Cup match against Haiti and he would help his side reach the semi-finals.

He would go to play in a further eight international matches for the Les Gwada Boys, including being part of the side which beat Cuba in a penalty shootout to reach the 2009 Gold Cup Finals.

Theo Wharton in action for current club Barry Town United, where he has been with since the club since January 2020. (Image: Barry Town United/Rhys Skinner Photography)

Theo Wharton:

Wharton is currently plying his trade in the Cymru Premiership for Barry Town United, far removed from his days with Cardiff City.

His first loan move away from the Bluebirds saw him sign for the Seagulls in March 2017, where he played in four games.

After previously representing Wales at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 levels, Wharton switched allegiance to St Kitts & Nevis, the country of his grandparents' birth, and he has currently played in 15 games and scored two goals.

Adrian Williams of Reading, during the Nationwide Division Two game against Cambridge. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Adrian Williams:

Adrian Williams ended his playing days with Weston after a glittering career in the Football League.

After coming through the ranks of Reading, he would go on to enjoy seven years with The Royals before leaving in 1996 to sign for Wolves.

He returned in 2000 and would play another four years for the Royals before leaving for Coventry City in 2004 after being voted the club’s best ever centre-back at the end of the 2001-02 season.

Williams would go on to play on loan for Millwall, in between his spell with the Sky Blues, and Swindon Town before signing for The Seagulls in 2009.

And he picked up 13 international caps, scoring one goal against Denmark, for Wales between 1994 and 2003 after qualifying to play for the national side through his father.

Manny Williams in action for Basingstoke Town, where he signed for the Dragons in 2012, the year he made his international debut for Sierra Leone. (Image: Steve Gridley at Basingstoke Town FC)

Manny Williams:

Manny is currently the player-assistant manager of Burnham after a career which has seen him play for 15 clubs.

He arrived at Weston in 2009, where he scored four goals in 12 appearances, but it wasn’t until 2012 when he made his one and only appearance for Sierra Leone.

Despite being raised in London and capped by England schoolboys, Manny made his debut as a substitute against São Tomé and Príncipe in the first leg of their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary qualifiers.

“It was an amazing memory, a real experience,” he told the Maidenhead Advertiser in March 2012.

“That’s the first shirt I will actually frame and put up in my house.

“Singing the national anthem at the beginning was pretty powerful on its own.

“It was amazing. It’s definitely something I want to do over and over again as much as possible.”

Alas it would be only his one game for the Leone Stars, but one he would always hold onto throughout the remainder of his professional career and into management.