Rhys: I’m not expecting the Welsh fans to welcome me!

Dec 13 2009 by Stuart Rayner, Sunday Sun

His name might be as Welsh as the Valleys, but Middlesbrough’s Rhys Williams will be on a mission to impress World Cup-bound Australia this afternoon, writes Stuart Rayner

Perhaps Williams is looking forward to the banter because he got plenty of it from the Socceroo contingent at the Riverside in his younger days.

He said: “Mark Schwarzer was always on my back when he was here. I used to get a lot of stick from him, (Mark) Viduka and Brad (Jones). It was only banter. I’m happy with my decision and I’m so glad to be playing for my rightful country.”

In recent years Boro have had a strong Aussie flavour, with the likes of Tony Vidmar, Luke Wilkshire and Paul Okon also plying their trade on Teesside. Williams admits it helped him settle in when he first arrived from Down Under.

“When I came over I had the same agent as Brad Jones,” he said. “I didn’t know him even though he was born about 20 minutes away from me in Australia.

“Coming here with all the other Aussie boys obviously helped. When I first came here I went out to lunch with Brad, Viduka and Schwarzer and they’ve been really good to me.”

With such a big carrot to look forward to in June, it would be easy for the thrice-capped Williams to get distracted. But the down-to-earth youngster has a battle on his hands at Boro to keep him focused until then.

“I’ve got one eye on the World Cup but my main priority now is playing regularly for Middlesbrough,” he said. “If I do that and do well, I’ll take it from there.

“Just being selected in a World Cup squad would do nicely, but at the end of the day I don’t take it for granted. I’ve got work hard here and force my way into the team. My priority is here and everything else is a bonus.

“I’m an easygoing guy so I take everything as it comes. I never take my spot for granted at Middlesbrough or for Australia so I’ll keep working hard in training and in matches and keep working as hard as I can.

“The main thing is getting in my team. I didn’t have the best game on Tuesday night so I’ve got to battle for my (right-back) spot with two other players, Justin Hoyte and Tony McMahon.”