The Swansea City defender was told that he would never make it in the game when he was shown the door by the Baggies nine years ago.<\/p>\n
Things could not be much different now for the man who is a regular for both club and country as he prepares to line up against West Brom for this first time since being given the devastating blow.<\/p>\n
And speaking to the Western Mail, Williams remembered that time at the Hawthorns by saying \u201cI signed for West Brom when I was about 12 and stayed a good few seasons<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then when I turned 16 they just decided not to keep me on. It wasn\u2019t just me, I think the whole group that year were let go for one reason or another and we had to find our way somewhere else.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was obviously difficult to take but everyone has to go about their own way in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine was obviously tougher than others but it was great for me. I was playing because I wanted to play football and I got paid too, if you could call it pay.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I was in the first team at Hednesford at 16 and I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything like playing first-team football for your development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of kids higher up the leagues than that level but they\u2019re not playing first-team games until 20 or 21.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thrown in against grown men who had worked all day \u2013 some nasty characters too. But I wouldn\u2019t change it for the world, it served me some good lessons.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a lot of time to think as a footballer and I do often reminisce of what\u2019s happened to me in the game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still have to pinch myself at times but I look back at my time at West Brom and am okay with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had some good times there and, although I was quite negative about my time there for a few years after what happened, now I realise it\u2019s just football.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can be thankful to them for giving me a chance and teaching me how to play the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see it all over football, lads who got released and went on to better things, so it will be nice to go back in that sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it won\u2019t be anything personal about going back. It\u2019s a game I want to win for Swansea.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut of the Midlands teams I support Wolves, so it will be one I want to win<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the main thing is that we win. It doesn’t matter who we play against because they are all hard games.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they\u2019re a good team who play it the right way and who are on fire at the minute. It\u2019s a Premiership club in almost every sense, so it\u2019s a great test for us right now.”<\/p>\n