David Williams: Prabir Das can get success abroad in the right conditions

The Australian forward scored seven goals and assisted five last season.

One of many stars of Indian Super League champions, ATK has to be the 'indigenous' Australian forward, David Williams. The 31-year old joined the club this season from Wellington Phoenix and was a vital cog in Antonio Habas' team this season. Williams had great chemistry with Roy Krishna and others and made some vital contributions this campaign, especially the brace he scored against Bengaluru FC in the second leg of the semi-final at the Salt Lake stadium.

In that brace, Williams scored one from the spot and the other goal was a swashbuckling header from distance which thundered past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Speaking with Anant Tyagi in an Instagram live session, Williams claimed it to be one of the best goals of his career.

[KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

“For me, the moment of scoring that third goal (in the semi-final) was one of the most exciting times in my football career," Williams highlighted.

“We knew what we had to do. There was going to be a big crowd and I think every player worked off the crowd. They got us through in the end. I did say to the boys, this crowd is going to help us when we feel down, they are our extra man and I just said don't let this crowd go quiet," he went on to add about the atmosphere during the crunch fixture.

Williams, in his football career, has been quite a journeyman, but before making a move to India, he was plying his trade for A-League side Wellington Phoneix, alongside current teammates like Roy Krishna and even Spanish midfielder Mandi Sosa. Speaking about his decision to move to the ISL, he said, "I was looking for something different at the time. We really enjoyed our time at Wellington Phoenix. It's a beautiful place, but just didn't work out there. India was somewhat different. I’ve played in a few countries now and it's nice to travel. It's nice to experience the world and to play in different counties and experience different cultures."

The 32-year old, who registered seven goals and two assists in the season, has had loads of experience before coming to India. He has travelled around the world and has played for Danish club Brondby in the past. He also had had stints in Hungary and has featured for A-League clubs like Melbourne City and Sydney FC.

When quizzed about comparing the leagues to ISL, Williams said, "In a few of my previous clubs, it wasn’t as professional as ATK. A lot of things came down to the budget and sometimes salaries were late. ATK are a very professional club, they gave everything that we needed.

“The staff is great. They give everything to the team. They're there before us and they leave after us. They have a big heart for the club, even though it's so young. As players especially, I think that the way that Roy and I have been brought up we appreciate everyone around us. There's a lot of people in the background, the staff who do a lot and don't get recognized. The backroom staff are always there before us and stay even after we are gone,” the forward added.

David Williams also spoke about his relationship with head coach Antonio Lopez Habas, as he went on, "My relation with Habas has been the same today to when we first met. He is someone who knows how to win trophies. He’s a very successful coach and he knows the Indian way. So, you have to listen to him. You have to do your best, work hard and try to keep your starting spot if he gives you one."

It was a genuine team effort from the Kolkata outfit to lift the title for a record third time and two of the most inspiring Indians who donned the ATK jersey have to be Prabir Das and Sumit Rathi. The latter even won the 'ISL Emerging Player of the Year' this season. Just like others, David Williams also feels the duo have a lot of talent and are very hard-working.

"Both the players work hard in training, also in the gym and everywhere they just work hard. I have seen the players who work hardest get their chances even at Wellington. Playing in a good team has also helped them. Sumit playing beside Agus (Garcia) has helped him, he guided him a lot."

"Also, both the players take constructive criticism very well. Prabir (Das) runs well and he is always motivated and passionate. I think he can go abroad and get success under the right coach and the right system. Both of them should be around the national team."

One of the groundbreaking stories from the upcoming season has to be the ATK and Mohun Bagan merger and speaking about representing the merged entity, David Williams is assured that the club will achieve big things in the future.

"The merger for me is the coming together of two successful clubs. I think it is good for Indian football as well as football in Kolkata. Mohun Bagan have a lot of history and fans and hopefully, they will support us next season. I hope ATK will keep some essence of Mohun Bagan from this season, maybe some current players can make it to the squad, so the fans will feel connected to support to the club. I feel honoured to get a chance to represent this side and I think they have more records to break and championships to win," the former Wellington Phoenix forward opined.

Despite lifting the Indian Super League title for ATK, which also happens to be the first-ever professional title for David Williams, there was a gloom around the stadium in Goa as the finale was played behind closed doors. With the world in the midst of a battle against the coronavirus pandemic at that point of time, Williams was disappointed as he wanted his family to witness the feat live from the stadium which did not happen. “Winning the ISL was very surreal. My wife and my youngest child were supposed to come over, but we got a few warnings about India going into lockdown or not letting people into the country. So, it was perhaps for the best that they stayed back.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter and join our community on Telegram.