Neco Williams: ‘Grandad always said it how it was – he would have wanted me to play’
As Neco Williams cast his mind back to the World Cup, he describes it as a blur. On the eve of the biggest match of his career, his parents came to Wales’s team hotel with devastating news that his beloved grandfather had passed away.
It was Kelvin Jones, grandfather on his mother’s side, who was with him on the path from Cefn Mawr to the biggest tournament in football. He was literally on the journey, driving him from the small village near Wrexham to Liverpool’s academy, his mentor when he moved to Nottingham Forest just a few months before he travelled to Qatar.
There is a pause and a moment of reflection from Williams when his grandfather is mentioned. Such was the shock, he initially did not want to play in Wales’s first World Cup match in 64 years but his family insisted it was what his grandfather would have wanted, particularly after seeing his own career cut short.
‘Rashford’s shot knocked me a bit weird’
“He had trials for Everton and it was a week before the trial, he broke his leg in a match,” said Williams. “Back then was not like now where you can get surgery straight away and recover. Stick you in plaster and get on with it, that kind of thing. But for the injury he would have had a very good chance of playing at a higher level.
“It was grandad who was the one who would tell me straight. If you had a bad game he would come in and say ‘you were awful today’. But if you had a good game he would be the first to say ‘you were good today’. Whatever he said, that is how it was that day.”
Williams played in the draw against USA, then his tournament ended when he was concussed blocking a shot from Marcus Rashford in the final group game. Williams wanted to do anything to help his team-mates on the pitch, as he showed earlier in Qatar, but was disorientated and knew he had to come off. His World Cup went by in a haze.
“Rashford took a shot and it knocked me a bit weird. Ten minutes later I was looking around and didn’t have a clue where I was,” he said. “I knew I had to come off. That tournament was so many emotions. It was a blur.”
There has barely been time to process the World Cup since returning. Williams played an important role in Forest’s survival that season, playing in a win against Brighton that kick-started their chances of staying up but also suffering a broken jaw, with his team-mates seeing them over the line.
Last season saw him relied upon by Nuno Espirito Santo as the club battled against points deductions and some questionable refereeing decisions but still staying up. When they were denied three penaltiesduring a crucial game against Everton, Williams could not hold back in his post-match media duties, wearing his heart on his sleeve and showing the fighting spirit forged at the City Ground.
‘It felt like everyone was against us’
“I was saying what every Forest fan, or any football fan, would have said,” says Williams. “I did it for them. At the time it was a difficult situation where we were getting points deductions, not getting decisions we should have been getting and we were in a relegation battle. It felt like everyone was against us, but we managed to get through it.
“We took a few fines, the owner, manager and players, but at the end of the day we were just speaking for what we thought was right and what we believed in. I can probably say that all the Forest fans think the same.
“The togetherness in this group is not just from the players. It is from the staff as well. The owners. The owners come into the training ground and we are chatting to them. The coaching staff are all together but it’s also the kitchen staff, sport science people. Everyone.
“We are all in this together. Nobody is hiding away. That is what helped us get through the difficult moments last season with the points deduction and decisions not going our way and it brought us closer together and we got through it and this season’s results shows our togetherness and how much that has helped us.”
‘It was good England invited me on a camp, but I’m fully Welsh’
Williams has never settled for the easy option in his career. As a child, he could have joined Manchester United and it would have been the logical choice considering his family and friends were big supporters of the club.
He chose Liverpool because he felt comfortable there, with his grandfather ferrying him to training sessions, pointing out the old buildings and factories on the route and reciting their names. Williams could have stayed at Liverpoolbut had ambitions of being a Premier League regular and had Trent Alexander-Arnold in front of him at Anfield.
Another decision was to stick with Wales, despite an invitation to train with England Under-21s when football resumed after Covid. “All my family is Welsh, I’m fully Welsh, all my friends are Welsh,” he said. There is also a mural of him in Cefn Mawr. “So it was always going to be Wales, even though it was a good thing they invited me on a camp. I was always waiting for that first call-up for Wales and thankfully it was not long after and I made my debut."
A huge fan of Tyson Fury, he has leant on the heavyweight boxer’s words as some of the best advice he has heard. “Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Yesterday, you can never get back. Live for today.”
“He was at the lowest of low points in his life and said he wanted to take his own life,” said Williams. “He was addicted to alcohol and managed to overcome it and become a world champion.
“What he went through with his mental health and doing what he did was incredible. That is why I attached myself on to him and try to take his advice when he does interviews.”
‘Our aim is not to look down but to look up’
Forest are living in the moment, showing some excellent form and flirting with the European places. Williams sees enough at the club to suggest they can look at staying in the top half rather than fear relegation like the previous two seasons.
“It is two seasons going through it so we know how tough the league is, how hard every opponent is,” he said. “Our aim wasn’t to be down there, it was to try to climb the table as high as possible and we are showing that to everyone and proving it. Our aim is not to look down but to look up and compete with these teams and establish ourselves hopefully as a top-half team.”
Neco Williams: ‘Grandad always said it how it was – he would have wanted me to play’
As Neco Williams cast his mind back to the World Cup, he describes it as a blur. On the eve of the biggest match of his career, his parents came to Wales’s team hotel with devastating news that his beloved grandfather had passed away.
It was Kelvin Jones, grandfather on his mother’s side, who was with him on the path from Cefn Mawr to the biggest tournament in football. He was literally on the journey, driving him from the small village near Wrexham to Liverpool’s academy, his mentor when he moved to Nottingham Forest just a few months before he travelled to Qatar.
There is a pause and a moment of reflection from Williams when his grandfather is mentioned. Such was the shock, he initially did not want to play in Wales’s first World Cup match in 64 years but his family insisted it was what his grandfather would have wanted, particularly after seeing his own career cut short.
‘Rashford’s shot knocked me a bit weird’
“He had trials for Everton and it was a week before the trial, he broke his leg in a match,” said Williams. “Back then was not like now where you can get surgery straight away and recover. Stick you in plaster and get on with it, that kind of thing. But for the injury he would have had a very good chance of playing at a higher level.
“It was grandad who was the one who would tell me straight. If you had a bad game he would come in and say ‘you were awful today’. But if you had a good game he would be the first to say ‘you were good today’. Whatever he said, that is how it was that day.”
Williams played in the draw against USA, then his tournament ended when he was concussed blocking a shot from Marcus Rashford in the final group game. Williams wanted to do anything to help his team-mates on the pitch, as he showed earlier in Qatar, but was disorientated and knew he had to come off. His World Cup went by in a haze.
“Rashford took a shot and it knocked me a bit weird. Ten minutes later I was looking around and didn’t have a clue where I was,” he said. “I knew I had to come off. That tournament was so many emotions. It was a blur.”
There has barely been time to process the World Cup since returning. Williams played an important role in Forest’s survival that season, playing in a win against Brighton that kick-started their chances of staying up but also suffering a broken jaw, with his team-mates seeing them over the line.
Last season saw him relied upon by Nuno Espirito Santo as the club battled against points deductions and some questionable refereeing decisions but still staying up. When they were denied three penaltiesduring a crucial game against Everton, Williams could not hold back in his post-match media duties, wearing his heart on his sleeve and showing the fighting spirit forged at the City Ground.
‘It felt like everyone was against us’
“I was saying what every Forest fan, or any football fan, would have said,” says Williams. “I did it for them. At the time it was a difficult situation where we were getting points deductions, not getting decisions we should have been getting and we were in a relegation battle. It felt like everyone was against us, but we managed to get through it.
“We took a few fines, the owner, manager and players, but at the end of the day we were just speaking for what we thought was right and what we believed in. I can probably say that all the Forest fans think the same.
“The togetherness in this group is not just from the players. It is from the staff as well. The owners. The owners come into the training ground and we are chatting to them. The coaching staff are all together but it’s also the kitchen staff, sport science people. Everyone.
“We are all in this together. Nobody is hiding away. That is what helped us get through the difficult moments last season with the points deduction and decisions not going our way and it brought us closer together and we got through it and this season’s results shows our togetherness and how much that has helped us.”
‘It was good England invited me on a camp, but I’m fully Welsh’
Williams has never settled for the easy option in his career. As a child, he could have joined Manchester United and it would have been the logical choice considering his family and friends were big supporters of the club.
He chose Liverpool because he felt comfortable there, with his grandfather ferrying him to training sessions, pointing out the old buildings and factories on the route and reciting their names. Williams could have stayed at Liverpoolbut had ambitions of being a Premier League regular and had Trent Alexander-Arnold in front of him at Anfield.
Another decision was to stick with Wales, despite an invitation to train with England Under-21s when football resumed after Covid. “All my family is Welsh, I’m fully Welsh, all my friends are Welsh,” he said. There is also a mural of him in Cefn Mawr. “So it was always going to be Wales, even though it was a good thing they invited me on a camp. I was always waiting for that first call-up for Wales and thankfully it was not long after and I made my debut."
A huge fan of Tyson Fury, he has leant on the heavyweight boxer’s words as some of the best advice he has heard. “Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Yesterday, you can never get back. Live for today.”
“He was at the lowest of low points in his life and said he wanted to take his own life,” said Williams. “He was addicted to alcohol and managed to overcome it and become a world champion.
“What he went through with his mental health and doing what he did was incredible. That is why I attached myself on to him and try to take his advice when he does interviews.”
‘Our aim is not to look down but to look up’
Forest are living in the moment, showing some excellent form and flirting with the European places. Williams sees enough at the club to suggest they can look at staying in the top half rather than fear relegation like the previous two seasons.
“It is two seasons going through it so we know how tough the league is, how hard every opponent is,” he said. “Our aim wasn’t to be down there, it was to try to climb the table as high as possible and we are showing that to everyone and proving it. Our aim is not to look down but to look up and compete with these teams and establish ourselves hopefully as a top-half team.”
