By Simon Wright
Back in November 2012, I got the chance to interview Ryan Williams for Total Football Magazine on the eve of his trial beginning with Premier League side Stoke City.
Although I have now gone onto other avenues, I was delighted to be asked to write an update on the 21-year-old and his progress throughout the winter, and the promising journey has continued.
He now has a regular club, after finally completing a move to League Two side Morecambe, which had been delayed by three months due to some paperwork issues regarding international clearance.
The no.10 (pictured) has already proved to a big hit at the Globe Arena, earning man of the match awards and scoring vital goals in the club’s push towards the play-offs.
Morecambe currently sit 12th, just two points behind Capital One Cup finalists Bradford City and seven points adrift of Rotherham United in the final play-off position.
A hard road
Williams has not found life in the game easy. In fact, it has generally been cruel – but he has continued to work hard and the rewards now appear to be coming off.
He made his professional debut aged just 17 for Chester City under the guidance of former England central defender Mark Wright. Unfortunately, he tore his ankle ligaments and headed for the treatment table for two months.
When the club hit serious financial problems and eventually ended up in administration, Ryan was released.
Without a club, the outlook wasn’t great, but undeterred; he pushed on and went to Spain on a trial period with Hercules.
The experience was memorable and at such a young age, it allowed the creative attacking midfielder to explore a new approach and dynamic into how the game is played differently on a continental scale.
Financial issues once again played a part in the final outcome, and Ryan returned to England, dropping into the non-league, but he built up his physical strength and fitness levels through setting up his own personal training business.
This helped him get noticed by many top English and European clubs when playing at amateur level for Rhyl last season.
As he told me in November – he had a message for other youngsters trying to make the breakthrough into football.
“As long as you never give up on yourself and keep believing, you have always got a chance.
“If you work harder than everyone else, you will eventually get where you want to be.
“It might take longer than you want, but if you stay focused you will get there.
“That’s the way I’ve been thinking and still am. I’ve got a long way to go yet.”
The Stoke trial
Since we spoke, the trial at Stoke City was a brilliant opportunity for Ryan and one that wasn’t wasted.
Spending six weeks at the Britannia Stadium, he played in two under-21 games against Southampton and Sunderland, and was on the bench in a game that took place behind closed doors which featured former Liverpool and Real Madrid goal machine Michael Owen – who was battling back himself from injury problems.
The Potters were impressed with Ryan’s determination, skill and fitness levels and offered him the opportunity to continue training with the under-21 squad.
Other clubs had taken notice and were also interested in acquiring Ryan. However, he decided to take up his initial deal which was with Morecambe.
A long awaited debut
Morecambe boss Jim Bentley signed Williams initially in October, but the move was put on hold due to technical issues regarding his amateur contract with Welsh Premier League side Rhyl.
As this wasn’t a professional deal, the FA ruled that he couldn’t move outside the traditional transfer window. Having trained hard with the club in the summer, the chance of playing regularly in the Football League was too good for Ryan to turn down and in January – the move finally went through.
On 12 January, he made his long awaited debut for the club and it was memorable. Off the bench, he scored a screamer in a 2-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle – John Sheridan’s first game in charge of the opponents.
With match fitness still an issue, manager Bentley continued to field Ryan as a substitute on a frequent basis, but this worked to maximum effect two weeks later away at Dagenham & Redbridge.
Trailing 1-0 when Ryan entered the fray – Morecambe rallied and with 10 minutes left, levelled the score through Stewart Drummond’s strike. Then a curled effort from Ryan moments later helped Morecambe produce a terrific victory which had looked unlikely at Victoria Road for much of the game.
At York, he made his first start for the Shrimps in a comfortable 4-1 away victory. Although there was a disappointing setback for the team at home to Exeter last Saturday – this was only a blip with another impressive display from Ryan winning him man of the match in Tuesday’s 2-1 triumph against struggling Aldershot Town.
One aspect of his game which is making him standout at Morecambe is his technique of getting a football to move in the air, meaning goalkeepers face plenty of unpredictability against it.
Ryan’s technique is similar to what pundits are questioning what Gareth Bale has been achieving of late in his recent sparkling performances for Tottenham. Williams has an uncanny habit of scoring goals from distance, as shown by his curling effort to win the game at Dagenham, a spectacular free-kick from distance against Wrexham in the reserves, and a 25-yard thunderbolt in another reserves game against Burton Albion.
Speaking to Shrimps Player after Tuesday’s game against Aldershot about his technique, Ryan said: “It’s a bit of a different technique, one that Ronaldo uses.
“You get some top spin on the ball and this makes it unpredictable for the goalkeeper.
“I’ve been practicing on this skill over the past 12 months.”
Technically gifted, with some fantastic power behind his shots, tough physical strength and crafty skill – Ryan Williams is a player that I’m sure we will be hearing a lot about for many years to come.
Back in November 2012, I got the chance to interview Ryan Williams for Total Football Magazine on the eve of his trial beginning with Premier League side Stoke City.
Although I have now gone onto other avenues, I was delighted to be asked to write an update on the 21-year-old and his progress throughout the winter, and the promising journey has continued.
The no.10 (pictured) has already proved to a big hit at the Globe Arena, earning man of the match awards and scoring vital goals in the club’s push towards the play-offs.
Morecambe currently sit 12th, just two points behind Capital One Cup finalists Bradford City and seven points adrift of Rotherham United in the final play-off position.
A hard road
Williams has not found life in the game easy. In fact, it has generally been cruel – but he has continued to work hard and the rewards now appear to be coming off.
He made his professional debut aged just 17 for Chester City under the guidance of former England central defender Mark Wright. Unfortunately, he tore his ankle ligaments and headed for the treatment table for two months.
When the club hit serious financial problems and eventually ended up in administration, Ryan was released.
Without a club, the outlook wasn’t great, but undeterred; he pushed on and went to Spain on a trial period with Hercules.
The experience was memorable and at such a young age, it allowed the creative attacking midfielder to explore a new approach and dynamic into how the game is played differently on a continental scale.
Financial issues once again played a part in the final outcome, and Ryan returned to England, dropping into the non-league, but he built up his physical strength and fitness levels through setting up his own personal training business.
This helped him get noticed by many top English and European clubs when playing at amateur level for Rhyl last season.
As he told me in November – he had a message for other youngsters trying to make the breakthrough into football.
“As long as you never give up on yourself and keep believing, you have always got a chance.
“If you work harder than everyone else, you will eventually get where you want to be.
“It might take longer than you want, but if you stay focused you will get there.
“That’s the way I’ve been thinking and still am. I’ve got a long way to go yet.”
The Stoke trial
Since we spoke, the trial at Stoke City was a brilliant opportunity for Ryan and one that wasn’t wasted.
Spending six weeks at the Britannia Stadium, he played in two under-21 games against Southampton and Sunderland, and was on the bench in a game that took place behind closed doors which featured former Liverpool and Real Madrid goal machine Michael Owen – who was battling back himself from injury problems.
The Potters were impressed with Ryan’s determination, skill and fitness levels and offered him the opportunity to continue training with the under-21 squad.
Other clubs had taken notice and were also interested in acquiring Ryan. However, he decided to take up his initial deal which was with Morecambe.
A long awaited debut
Morecambe boss Jim Bentley signed Williams initially in October, but the move was put on hold due to technical issues regarding his amateur contract with Welsh Premier League side Rhyl.
As this wasn’t a professional deal, the FA ruled that he couldn’t move outside the traditional transfer window. Having trained hard with the club in the summer, the chance of playing regularly in the Football League was too good for Ryan to turn down and in January – the move finally went through.
On 12 January, he made his long awaited debut for the club and it was memorable. Off the bench, he scored a screamer in a 2-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle – John Sheridan’s first game in charge of the opponents.
With match fitness still an issue, manager Bentley continued to field Ryan as a substitute on a frequent basis, but this worked to maximum effect two weeks later away at Dagenham & Redbridge.
Trailing 1-0 when Ryan entered the fray – Morecambe rallied and with 10 minutes left, levelled the score through Stewart Drummond’s strike. Then a curled effort from Ryan moments later helped Morecambe produce a terrific victory which had looked unlikely at Victoria Road for much of the game.
At York, he made his first start for the Shrimps in a comfortable 4-1 away victory. Although there was a disappointing setback for the team at home to Exeter last Saturday – this was only a blip with another impressive display from Ryan winning him man of the match in Tuesday’s 2-1 triumph against struggling Aldershot Town.
One aspect of his game which is making him standout at Morecambe is his technique of getting a football to move in the air, meaning goalkeepers face plenty of unpredictability against it.
Ryan’s technique is similar to what pundits are questioning what Gareth Bale has been achieving of late in his recent sparkling performances for Tottenham. Williams has an uncanny habit of scoring goals from distance, as shown by his curling effort to win the game at Dagenham, a spectacular free-kick from distance against Wrexham in the reserves, and a 25-yard thunderbolt in another reserves game against Burton Albion.
Speaking to Shrimps Player after Tuesday’s game against Aldershot about his technique, Ryan said: “It’s a bit of a different technique, one that Ronaldo uses.
“You get some top spin on the ball and this makes it unpredictable for the goalkeeper.
“I’ve been practicing on this skill over the past 12 months.”
Technically gifted, with some fantastic power behind his shots, tough physical strength and crafty skill – Ryan Williams is a player that I’m sure we will be hearing a lot about for many years to come.
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