Practice makes perfect for Daniel Williams

Daniel Williams was delighted to see hours of extra graft on the training ground paying dividends following his stunning strike in Swansea City Under-23s’ win over Millwall earlier this week.

The central midfielder opened the scoring in emphatic fashion as the young Swans made it back-to-back wins in Professional Development League South.

Latching onto a bouncing ball just outside the box, Williams demonstrated terrific technique by drilling a low volley into the bottom corner for his second goal of the season.

The 19-year-old, who recently saw his contract extended through to the summer of 2022, stepped up to the senior environment following lockdown last year and has been with Steve Cooper’s squad ever since.

Although he is still awaiting his first-team debut, the second-year pro has got game time under his belt with several appearances for the under-23s under Jon Grey this term.

Williams revealed that he has spent additional hours on the training ground at Fairwood over the past few months, honing his finishing skills under the supervision of coaches Mike Marsh and Alan Tate.

And he was pleased to see his hard work come to fruition in the under-23s' 2-0 victory over the young Lions.

“I don’t score too often, so it’s good to make it a good goal when I do," he laughed.

“The ball came to me at an awkward height. I tried to hit it as hard as I could and, luckily, I was able to keep it down.

“After training with the first team, I stay behind and work with Marshy and Tatey on my finishing. 

“I’ve been working on that for the past three or four months now, so practice makes perfect as they say.”

Williams also paid tribute to under-23s' team-mate Jordi Govea, who marked his long-awaited return from injury with the second goal in the win in London.

It was the full-back’s first Swansea City appearance for just under two years following a series of injuries; including lateral collateral ligament damage and hamstring problems.

Govea’s goal – just nine minutes after climbing off the bench – was an emotional moment for everyone involved.

“I was really happy for Jordi, he’s been working really hard for this,” Williams added.

“You would see him in the gym every day smiling and keeping his spirits up.

“When he came on, I said to him: ‘Come on Jordi, get a goal’ and he scored within about three minutes!

“Every single one of us was chasing after him, which shows what a popular guy he is.”