Goal hero Kai Williams has got the need for speed at AFC Telford

And with his injury-time equaliser at Gloucester City last weekend, Kai Williams has started to demonstrate that he can deliver the end product to go with his blistering pace, writes Richard Worton.

Bucks’ fans have seen glimpses of Williams’ pace, and his speed shouldn’t come as a surprise, given his background in track and field,

“When I was younger, I was always doing athletics, because my dad’s an athletics coach,” said Williams. “When I was in the Coventry City academy, I was doing athletics and football, but I used to get a lot of injuries. Now I know that the reason I was getting injuries is that I wasn’t getting enough rest.”

Kai’s father Ronnie is a coach at Coventry Godiva Harriers, whose famous alumni include long-distance runner David Moorcroft, who once held the 5000 metres world record, and sprinter Marlon Devenish, a Commonwealth and European champion.

Williams was a teenage prospect, but the feeling that he’d missed an opportunity with football led him to forgo athletics, as he explained: “My main event was sprinting, doing hurdles, I was good at that, but I gave up football between 15 and 19.

“I went back into football because a lot of the players I was at Coventry City academy with got professional contracts, even the ones who got released and went to other clubs got contracts somewhere else.

“I was thinking ‘let me get back into football again, play, and see where it takes me’.

“That squad (Coventry) was a very good squad – James Maddison (now at Leicester City and an England international) was in that squad, along with George Thomas,who’s at QPR now.”

And Williams, who is based in Coventry, feels his goal last week can give him the confidence to kick on with the Bucks: “I’m enjoying it and getting used to it. Although I didn’t start (at Gloucester) I’ve been starting and getting a run of games. It’s more intense, but I’m enjoying it.”

The Bucks are still without a permanent manager, following the departure of Gavin Cowan earlier this month – although it was confirmed yesterday morning that interim boss Dennis Greene will continue in his role for the time being.

Given it was Cowan who signed Williams for the Bucks, it’s unsurprising that Williams was sad to see him go; however, he is enjoying his opportunities under Greene. “I was very disappointed,” said Williams on Cowan’s departure. “He took me under his wing, he really put a belief in me and he believed in me, believed that I could play at this level and make a difference.

“He can inspire you and motivate you, and make you believe in his philosophy, but to be fair since Dennis (Greene) has come in he’s taken a chance on me. He didn’t know me, but he’s taken a chance on me and hopefully, it’s paying off. I really enjoy playing under him as well.”