Barnsley boss Neill Collins has openly praised his club captain, Jordan Williams after his impressive start to the season, in comments given for a report by the Barnsley Chronicle.
Williams is Barnsley’s current longest serving player after joining from Bury in 2018, making over 150 appearances for the South Yorkshire outfit. Only 23, the defender stepped up as club captain following Liam Kitching’s deadline day move to Championship side Coventry City.
Now in his fifth year at Oakwell, Williams was a prominent squad member for Barnsley in the Championship, but the best season of his career came in League One – where he started 43 league fixtures, registering five goals and seven assists as The Tykes narrowly missed out on promotion at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.
Spending most of his time at full-back, Neill Collins has deployed the 23-year-old as part of his back three this season. The former England youth international has played every minute in League One this season and has quickly earned praise for his step up to captaincy by his manager.
What has been said?
“Jordan has grown into being a captain very, very well. He’s definitely got the respect of the changing room and the staff. He’s a quiet leader but sometimes they can be the most effective. He’s definitely stepped up and led by example.
“He’s done very well at centre-back. He’s probably had the hardest job because there have been a lot of changes there. He’s helping the new players settle in. He’s still very, very eager to learn in that position.”
After the club lost two big figureheads Mads Andersen and Liam Kitching during the summer window, the significance of Williams’ shifts as both a central defender and captain is not to be underestimated.
With his contract expiring in June 2024, it is no doubt that the club will be keen to address this in the coming months.
Writer’s View
Personally, I find it pleasant to see a player captain a club at the age of 23, which speaks volumes about Jordan Williams’ character.
Collins is correct to praise his step-up into captaincy, even more so with the context that the club faced a significant overhaul in the summer – losing the likes of Mads Andersen, Liam Kitching and James Norwood. The future is certainly bright for the young defender, but it is pivotal that Barnsley address his contract situation.
