Bristol City defender Ashley Williams has spoken about life in Bristol, being with his new teammates and playing games in the Championship again after the signing a contract extension with the club.
The-35-year-old has enjoyed a renaissance at Ashton Gate this season, having joined in the summer following his release by Stoke City.
It was an initial six-month contract for Williams, but he'll now see out the remainder of the season with the club. Speaking about his new deal, the Welshman told the club’s official website:
"I’ve been happy with how my City career has started, for us as a team and a club. For me, I’ve stayed in the team and I think I’ve done reasonably well.
“I can still play better, I’m learning all the time, trying my best and we’ve had a good start. It’s not been all ups but we’ll take the start we’ve had on the whole, definitely.”
Lee Johnson’s side are 6th in the Championship after a 2-2 draw with Barnsley at the weekend. The Robins have won just two of their last eight games in the Championship, and have drawn seven of their 15 league games so far this season.
Williams didn’t make his debut for Bristol until mid-September at his former club Stoke, where he helped his new teammates to a 2-1 win. He’s played every minute of the nine league games since, and even opened his account for the club at Oakwell last time out.
"The best thing for me has been the games, the lads, everything really! I’m really enjoying my time here, it’s nice to be in the city and the lads are great.
“The coaching staff are good, the fans treat me well and for me this has been a start I could not have imagined. I’m happy to be here - I enjoy coming to work every day.”
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The verdict
Question marks were raised over Johnson’s signing of Williams in the summer - he’d just endured a terrible season with Stoke and was approaching 35-years-old.
But Williams has paid back the faith shown in him by his new manager and has become a favourite at Ashton Gate, as well as one of the first names on Johnson’s team sheet.
Bristol need an experience head in Williams - he’s won promotion from this league with Swansea City in the past, and will be a key figure in Bristol’s push for a top-six spot this season.