Kingsley Williams enjoying his football at Olympic

The young 20-year old midfielder who joined Sydney Olympic this season from Sheffield United had to make plenty of adjustments when coming to play in the IGA NSW Mens Premier League 1 and not just on the field.
“I’m enjoying playing here in the weather now but when I first arrived I found the heat difficult to cope with but that’s something you have to adapt to and I’m enjoying the challenge.
“The game in England is a bit faster, the ball moves a lot quicker but the boys here try to play the right way and I’ve adapted well and obviously I’m looking forward to the future.”
His performances have earned rave reviews in many quarters, and the nickname of ‘the General’ from the supporters and a couple of Board members, with it being no secret he has been watched by several A-League sides with an eye to, perhaps, next season so is the lad firstly aware of this and if so, secondly, has it changed his approach the game in any way: “When I first came here that was always part of the plan, the idea was always to try and gain the attention of the A-League sides but I’ve not actually heard anything so far.
“I always try to concentrate on my game, keep trying to play my football, the type that has got me where I am at the moment and look to improve on that and obviously I hope the rest falls into place really.”
With the recent behind the scenes dramas at Olympic in the past few weeks, the coach, his assistant and several players leaving, it can have an unsettling effect on the team but Williams continues: “If anything I feel it has brought the players closer together to be honest.
“We all know how good those guys were and we do miss them however, we have a replacement in there (Grant Lee) and he has got us all trying harder and I’m not sure if you see it on the field but we are working harder for each other and the results have been following in the past few weeks.”
Against APIA-Leichhardt Tigers it was the Williams show as he ran the midfield playing neat one-twos with quick accurate passing and playing well above his tender years when promoting an almost telepathic sense of where his team mates were and finding them with ease on a surface that, it has to be said, was quite dreadful yet he produced a Man of the Match performance: “I think a lot of the players would agree that playing on synthetic pitches is heavy on the legs and certainly the day after but it is a nice flat surface so there can be no excuses why you cannot play good football on them.
“At APIA the surface wasn’t the greatest but we still demonstrated we can play football and hopefully the supporters can recognise that watching the games.”
He demonstrates modesty with that comment but this was just one of the games where he was scouted by the A-League and his ability to know what he is going to do with the ball, almost before he receives it, plus few wasted passes is something that can only be taught aligned with inherent talent: “The way I was taught growing up was always to move the ball very quickly.
“You cannot tackle what you can’t get near basically, that is the philosophy so if you keep the ball moving and doing the work you don’t have to over extend yourself as much so can keep fresher for longer in games and during the season.
“You have to move off the ball obviously to create more triangles and space for others but one-touch football is the way I like to play.
“It creates openings and opportunities and is exciting to watch and be a part of.”
Williams is not the tallest player going around and some would say this is an asset when moving around the field unnoticed at times but it isn’t something that overly concerns the player: “My height is something I’ve had to deal with all my life so growing up I had to learn to be more physical because I had to know how to compete with bigger boys if I was ever going to improve.
“I’ve modelled my game around that and as I’ve gotten older I’ve used that to be able to twist and turn away from the opposition and statistically if you look at players around the world, take Spain for example, the likes of Messi are about my height and I think most would agree he seems to do alright,” he chuckles.
The kid doesn’t liken himself to that type of player and states it categorically but in chatting with him he comes across as a good lad, terrific sense of humour and his football speaks for itself as his demeanour and approach to the game appear quite exemplary.
His range of awareness in midfield, the no-nonsense approach when required accompanied by silky skills allied to the professional attitude ought to see his star in the ascendency and a bigger stage should the rate of progression continue as it has since arriving on these shores, his brand of football would be appreciated by a wider audience.
The only low point of the interview comes when he admits to having been born in Manchester and is yet another United fan, a better claim to be one than most one supposes, but was unable to get a ticket for their match against the A-League All Stars so if anyone has a spare would they be so kind…….please?
-By Micky Brock