Gillingham midfielder Euan Williams is hoping to take his career to another level next season and doesn’t have to look far for inspiration.
The 22-year-old came through the same school corridors as team-mate Bradley Dack, at Beths Grammar School in Bexley, and is relishing the chance of another season playing and competing alongside the Gills star.
Williams and Dack, who are nine years apart, have both signed one-year contract extensions this summer.
“Dacky’s been there and done it,” said former Charlton junior Williams. “I remember when I was a bit younger, I used to watch EFL highlights, and there would be a screamer going in from Dack every other weekend!
“He went to the same school as me – there are quite a few boys that have come through.
“Obviously, he’s a few years older than me, but I looked up to him and now we’re in the same team and we play in the same position, so for me to see him in training, to see what he’s good at, see what things I can try and take from his game, I can ask him questions, it’s quite a big thing for me.
“I used to watch him knocking in goals and stuff and now I get to see every day in training what he is capable of. His quality is still there.”
The two could be competing for the same spot in the team, but Williams said: “That’s just the reality of football, isn’t it? Obviously, we both want to play, everyone does. It’s just part and parcel of the game.
“For me to watch and to try and learn off him, it’s only going to help me, and hopefully we’ll see the best of him again.”
Beths Grammar School has a rich history of producing sporting talent, none better than former Olympic medalist Steve Backley, who still holds the British record javelin distance of 91.46m – a throw achieved 11 years before Williams was born.
Ex-Kent cricketers Adam Riley and Adam Ball went to the same school, as did a handful of footballers who are still playing.
Southampton’s Samuel Edozie, Cambridge United’s Jubril Okedina and Stockport County’s Lewis Bate all went to Beths, along with Richard Chin, who has just joined Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers and played in the same school team as Williams.
Last season Williams made 13 appearances for the Gills after a big change for the youngster, moving on from Charlton – a club he had been at since a boy.
Gills boss Gareth Ainsworth, who was in charge for the last nine games, saw enough over the last few weeks of the season to hand him a new deal.
Speaking about getting another year’s contract, Williams said: “Obviously, I believe in myself, but football is not always down to you.
“My game time was limited, so for them to judge me based on my game time probably would have been quite hard. That’s why I tried to use training to impress as much as possible.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity now and I think this is my season to kick on and try and play well.”
Ainsworth recently said that Williams could surprise a few next season. With the likes of Dack and Jonny Williams in the attack-midfield roles, he’s not a name too many will be familiar with.
“Hearing that from the manager boosts your confidence a bit,” Williams said. “I’ve not played a lot of games, but I think I’m good enough to play at the level and have a real impact.
“I just hope that I can get more of an opportunity this season because I think I’m good enough to do it.
“I want to play a lot more, I want to become a regular in the team and I want to have an impact on games and try and get the club back to where we should be, really.”
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Williams has a manager who will give him the freedom to flourish.
“The manager just lets us play with a bit of confidence,” he said.
“In one of his first meetings, he said ‘work as hard as possible out of possession but in possession enjoy it and express yourself’. For us, that’s all we want to hear.
“He’ll give us that opportunity to try and make things happen and that’s the whole reason we’re in the team, to try and create things and score goals.
“Obviously the defensive stuff comes with that, and we have to do that the best we can, but when he was saying that, I was thinking ‘this is a bit of me’.
“Results breed confidence and the fact that we were able to go on that little run towards the end of the season shows that we have a good enough squad to really compete.”
