From one of strangest transfers in Portsmouth history to Football League manager: Ex-Newcastle and Watford man is on the way up

Now Mike Williamson is forging a managerial career in the Football League after taking over at MK Dons.

The former centre-half has enjoyed impressive success while overseeing Gateshead over the last four years, leaving them sixth in the National League.

That progress persuaded the Dons to appoint him as Graham Alexander’s replacement, following the Scot’s sacking on Monday after eight league games without victory.

Williamson takes over a side presently 16th in League Two - seven points off the automatic promotion spots.

For Pompey fans, however, the name will forever be synonymous with a curious period in the club’s history when he failed to make a single appearance as a player.

Williamson was signed by Paul Hart from Watford for £3m in September 2009, only to be sold to Newcastle just five months later.

There were nine outings as an unused substitute, of which seven came in the Premier League and two in the FA Cup third round against Coventry.

Yet that was the closest he ever came to representing Pompey, failing to make three Carling Cup squads entirely when the team was rotated.

If the defender thought his luck would change following Hart’s dismissal as boss in November 2009, to be replaced by Avram Grant, he was sorely wrong.

The Blues continued to prefer Marc Wilson, Younes Kaboul, Tal Ben Haim and Aaron Mokoena in the centre of defence.

Ultimately, he was sold to Newcastle in January 2010 for an undisclosed fee - and immediately helped them to promotion to the Premier League that season.

Over the next six years at St James' Park, he totalled 170 appearances, scoring twice, and was named as Player of the Year in 2013-14.

Williamson would later turn out for Wolves and Oxford United, before dropping into non-league in August 2018 with Gateshead.

He stepped up to become player-manager in June 2019 and won the National League North title in 2021-22 to return to the National League.

Gateshead finished 14th last term and reached the final of the FA Trophy, where they lost to FC Halifax Town, before a strong start to this season positioned them sixth.

Now Williamson, the Pompey footballer who never played, has been challenged with resurrecting MK Dons’ League Two fortunes.