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Ex-Manchester United player Brandon Williams issues public statement following sentencing

He's looking to close this chapter quickly and move forward.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 27th May 2025

Former Manchester United youngster Brandon Williams and his legal team have issued a statement following his recent sentencing over dangerous driving charges.

The Crumpsall-born defender left the club last year after being released following a 14-year stint in Red, graduating from Man United’s academy and making a number of first-team appearances before being sent out on a pair of loan spells.

After representing Norwich City 26 times and then making just 15 appearances for former youth coach Kieran McKenna‘s Ipswich Town, he hasn’t played professional football for more than 17 months.

Williams was officially given a 14-month prison sentence this past Friday, 23 May, but the term has been suspended for two years, and now Brandon himself has responded following the decision.

The free agent pleaded guilty to driving dangerously earlier this month after it was found had been driving at speeds of up to 99mph in a 70 zone prior to crashing his Audi A3.

Issuing a statement to The Manc via his lawyers at Blackfords LLP, he said: “I would like to thank my legal team headed by Richard Littler KC and Philip Williams of Blackfords LLP for establishing that I was not under the influence of any substance at the time of the accident.

“I have always accepted that my driving that day fell below the standard that is expected of me. It was never my intention to cause injury to anyone, but I am responsible for the standard of my driving. I make no excuses. I have learnt from this experience and will ensure there is no repetition.

“I wish to apologise again to those who were involved in the accident. Now that the case has concluded, I look forward to resuming my career with a new team later this year.”

Despite Chester Crown Court hearing that he and his female passenger at the time “appeared to have yellow balloons in their mouth” – typically associated with imbibing nitrous oxide a.k.a. ‘laughing gas’ – Williams has maintained that he was sober during the incident throughout the investigation.

The crash, which occurred on the A34 near Handforth in Cheshire back in August 2023, saw the left-back collide with a Ford Fiesta after a female motorist travelling behind him on the dual carriageway around 6pm claimed he seemed out of control of the vehicle. Both cars were heavily damaged.

While Williams will be avoiding jail time, his suspended prison sentence has not only seen him banned from driving for three years but will also see him have to complete 180 hours of community service.

In addition to the collision itself, Williams racked up a total of 30 points on his license for multiple offences, including twice failing to declare who was driving, operating a vehicle without third-party insurance, and now this latest development, having already paid a £1,000 fine in May 2024.

The 24-year-old has since spoken out about the incident in brief detail with Ben Foster (a fellow former United player) on his podcast.

Brandon Williams’ most recent statement isn’t the first time he’s touched upon the incident.

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Featured Images — Ardfern (via WikiCommons)/Instagram/ Fozcast (screenshot via YouTube)

News

Stockport County issue statement condemning ‘deeply concerning imagery’ featuring club crest

Danny Jones Danny Jones Stockport County statement on political imagery use of club crest

Stockport County have issued a statement addressing inappropriate and divisive political imagery featuring the club crest recently shared online.

The Greater Manchester side was alerted to the situation this week and quickly released a decisive comment condemning the content that appeared on social media.

Updating the fan base on Monday afternoon, 29 July, the League One team shared the important and well-received response across their official channels, reminding their fan base that not only are they a non-political entity but that the beautiful game is for everyone.

It reads as follows: “Stockport County has been made aware of instances where our club crest has been used without permission on political propaganda, including deeply concerning imagery that promotes hate and division, such as the unauthorised display of our crest alongside anti-LGBTQ+ symbols. 

“We want to be unequivocally clear: Stockport County Football Club is, and always will be, a politically neutral organisation. We do not endorse, support, or affiliate with any political party, candidate [referring to one specific individual in this instance], or ideology.

“Our club crest is a registered trademark and a symbol of unity, community, and the collective passion for football at Edgeley Park.

“It represents all our fans, staff, players, and the wider Stockport community, regardless of their individual political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, or any other characteristic.” 

They assure that the club, which is made up of all kinds of ethnicities, genders and sexualities, is “no place for hate, discrimination, or exclusion of any kind at Edgeley Park or within our community“, adding that they are “committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and safe.”

For context, below you’ll find just one example of the unsanctioned and potentially inflammatory iconography exposed via Facebook marketplace, which features the Stockport County badge alongside an image of former UKIP leader and Reform UK MP, Nigel Farage.

The statement goes on to reinforce that “any unauthorised use of our crest, particularly in a political or hateful context, is a misuse of our intellectual property and fundamentally goes against the inclusive values we uphold.”

“We will take all necessary steps, including legal action where appropriate, to prevent such unauthorised use of our club crest and protect our brand integrity.”

They sign off by stating, simply: “We urge all supporters to respect the Club’s neutrality and help us maintain an environment where everyone feels welcome and united by their love for County.”

On the upside, the defiant Stockport County stance was met with plenty of praise and support, with Hatters and football lovers in general commenting, “My community club”, “Not a fan but well done county”, “Keep politics out of football, especially that lot. Top club statement”, just to quote a few replies.

SCFC seem to be getting lots of things right at the moment.

Stockport County to introduce safe standing at Edgeley Park
Besides potential political controversy, Stockport County delighted locals with another statement ahead of the 2025/26 season.

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Featured Images — Stockport County (via Instagram)/Owain Davies (via Wikimedia Commons)

News

Northern is offering Greater Manchester students half-price train tickets for the entire academic year

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

School students in Greater Manchester are to be offered 50% off their train tickets for the entire upcoming academic year.

Now that schools are out for the summer, train operator Northern is encouraging parents and guardians of schoolchildren who use the train to get to and from school to take advantage an early bird discount giving them 50% off tickets for the coming academic year.

The operator hopes that the discount will convince parents of children aged under 16 to ‘trust the train’ for their school run. 

The half-price child season ticket for the 2025-26 academic year is available until 11:59pm this Thursday (31 July).

Season tickets for those under 16, and Year 11 students, that are purchased after this date will only be 40% off the normal child season ticket price, and term time tickets are to also become available from this date too.

Train ticket barrier
Northern is offering Greater Manchester students half-price train tickets for the entire academic year / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | TPE

Any season tickets purchased will be delivered in time for the new school term in September. 

The 50% off offer comes as Northern teams up with TransPennine Express to offer school children maximum flexibility – with education season tickets now valid on both operator’s services on a number of routes across the North. 

“As we continue in our mission to make our railway accessible and as easy to use as possible, annual education season tickets are there to offer the best value for journeys to school and college,” commented Alex Hornby, who is the Commercial and Customer Director for Northern.

“We’re encouraging parents and guardians to take advantage of even bigger savings now before of the end of July, where the discounts available will reduce.

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“Locking-in this earlybird discount with a season ticket not only saves a lot of money; it ticks one more thing off the back to school list and it means no more faffing around with day or weekly tickets too.”

Find more information and take advantage of the Education Season Tickets offer here.

Featured Image – Jonny Walton (via Northern)

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