Jonny Williams reflects on 'special' period at Swindon Town

The Welsh international spent two seasons at The Nigel Eady County Ground, becoming a core part of the side that reached the playoffs against all odds in his first season.

It was the first time Williams had played at League Two level after a career in which he had struggled off and on with injuries, but managed to rack up more appearances, goals, and assists at Town than he has for any of his other clubs.

Having just been at the UEFA European Championship with Wales, it was quite a surprise when he arrived at Swindon.

“It was a really exciting [first] season [at Swindon Town],” he said. “It was great to be a part of, I knew Ben Garner from my time in the Crystal Palace youth teams and I knew what kind of football we wanted to play in terms of possession-based, attacking football and controlling games. We had some brilliant players that year, at that level – Ben Gladwin, Jack Payne, Harry McKirdy – it turned out to be a great success at Swindon that no one really knew about.

“We had [Kaine] Kesler-Hayden, who's now playing the Championship, and Jake O'Brien, who has gone to Everton for 20 million, so it was a real team that was brought together really cleverly. There wasn't huge expectation [from outside], but there was an expectation within, from when we started the season really well. The way we were playing and dominating possession, we could have probably nicked the top three again."

Williams celebrates a belter at Sutton (Image: Adver archive)

In a season of memorable moments, Williams said that his favourite was when he scored a wonderful goal against Sutton United on the road.

“The goal I scored against Sutton,” said the midfielder. “The ball came to me about 30 yards out, I cut inside past a couple of players and put one in the top corner. That was a nice feeling, and I had ten of my schoolmates all come and watch, and one of my best mates is actually a big Swindon fan so I gave them my shirt after the game. Seeing all my best mates, about eight to ten of them watching at Sutton was a really nice moment.”

But despite the glory of the campaign, with the team and the fans never feeling so connected, it ended in difficult circumstances at Port Vale in the playoffs.

He said: “We lost a few players in January as well because we were doing so well, so we just fell short. We were one penalty away from going to Wembley, it's fine margins in football. It was a great season to remember, a great group of lads that were put together and we nearly achieved something special.”

That moment and a lack of continuity the following year meant that they were not able to build upon the campaign.

Williams playing at Harrogate (Image: Rob Noyes)

“Scott Lindsey went to Crawley [Town] at the time,” Williams said of the season not going as planned. “We were sitting around seventh and we lost some key players again in January – in Louis Reed – and we lost the captain and our vice-captain, [Ben] Gladwin and Angus MacDonald. Then Jody Morris came in, results didn't really go our way as a team and there was change again. It was another season where you thought, ‘What could have been’.

“There were some really good players, we signed Charlie Austin in January, and we just didn't quite do enough to get where we wanted to be but in terms of the first half of the season, we were really good and followed on from what we'd achieved season before. We were keeping our eye on the top three and weren't far off it. From a personal point of view, it was great to score ten goals and get a few assists, but the goal is always to get promotion – and we just fell short.”

Ultimately, Williams looks back on the stint with fondness as he got back to playing regularly and managed to add consistent goals to his game, finishing as the club’s top goal scorer in his second season and also getting to play under his former Palace coach in Garner to help take him to new levels.

Garner gives a speech after Barrow game (Image: Adver archive)

“They [Ben Garner and Scott Lindsey] were brilliant for me in terms of giving me license to run,” he said. “There's been times in League Two where it's hard to get free or people can come and mark you tightly, or man-mark you. They gave me a bit of freedom to roam and enjoy my football, causing damage to the opposition and taking players where they didn't want to go.

“The main thing is confidence, wherever I've been, when I'm confident in myself and surrounded by great footballers, I've got a real chance of playing at my best. It's about having that self-belief as well when things aren't going well, and it's key for footballers if they want to reach their full potential.

“It comes down to your teammates giving you opportunities, getting chances, being in a creative, free-flowing team that takes the ball and creates numerous chances. The more chances you get, the more chance you've got of scoring.

“Ben Garner was always telling me the season before to keep getting in the box and things will drop, and he was right. Lee Bowyer said the same to me when I was at Charlton [Athletic]. Obviously, there'll be many times where it doesn't drop to you, but the more times you get around the penalty spot or get in the box, things will drop to you and it's about you putting the ball in the back of the net.

“We had a great team, had some really good players, and the way we played that season was really exciting, so my chances of scoring increased. It was about taking the opportunities when they arise, and they did.”