The Highlands are already home for new Caley Thistle stopper Owain Fon Williams
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A whirlwhind introduction to Caley Thistle has not phased Owain Fon Williams’ integration into life in the Highlands. Here, he tells Jamie Durent how Inverness already feels like home.
OWAIN Fon Williams has barely called himself a Highland resident for more than a fortnight but there is more than a hint of rural Wales about his new surroundings.
Born and raised in the small northern Welsh village of Penygroes, Fon Williams is accustomed to growing up in a compact, tight-knit area where expectations, at least from outsiders, are low.
Perhaps his upbringing has allowed his move to Caley Thistle to be such a perfect fit. A brief spell training with the club, signing on the dotted line and before you know it, thrust into the biggest game in the club’s history. When his feet finally hit the floor, Fon Williams will at least feel like he is in familiar territory.
“It’s a beautiful place — I was brought up in a place similar to this, the only difference being this is bigger. Where I was brought up was more compact,” said the goalkeeper. “As footballers it is difficult for us to settle down. But I feel like I’ve settled down in no time in this place.”
Such was his haste to embed himself into the Highland way of life, Fon Williams passed up the opportunity for a well-earned rest in the early hours of Friday morning after returning to Inverness from Romania.
Instead, he caught a flight to Manchester, drove to his house in The Wirral to collect belongings in a van and headed back north over the weekend.
An imposing figure on the pitch — Fon Williams’ six-foot-four frame makes him the tallest of the Caley Jags goalkeepers — the Welshman is as close to a gentle giant off the pitch as you can get. Mild mannered and softly spoken, the former Tranmere Rovers stopper cannot hide his satisfaction at finding a dressing room that thrives off each other’s company.
“I’ll have my own place because I like my own space. I like coming in, getting my work done with everyone but then it’s my time after that,” said the 28-year-old, who signed a one-year deal a fortnight ago.
“When I first came here I asked most of the boys where they lived. The answer from all of the boys is that they all lived about five minutes from one another. No one is too far. If the supermarket isn’t open, I know where to go to get some milk!
“I can’t speak highly enough of the lads. They’ve all welcomed me in that dressing room.”
Making more than 80 appearances for Stockport County, alongside Caley Thistle’s Greg Tansey and James Vincent, plus 161 games for Tranmere Rovers where he first met David Raven, gives an indication of his pedigree.
John Hughes’ “wildcard” signing during the week of the first leg with FC Astra, Fon Williams’ inclusion in the final teamsheet for the game surprised many in the stands and in the press box.
Ryan Esson had played during the second half of last season and in pre-season and many expected the veteran Aberdonian to continue between the sticks. However, Fon Williams was pitched in for his Caley Thistle debut, a game that proved decisive in the club’s Europa League trajectory.
A free-kick from Constantin Budescu separated the two sides in the Highland Capital and in Giurgiu last week, as Inverness fought bravely but forlornly to keep their European flame flickering.
But as far as any hurt feelings are concerned between him and Esson, you can forget it.
“We’re all ready to play and if you’re called upon to do that, that’s what I want to do. I want to be playing every single minute and that’s a motto I’ve carried with my throughout my entire career.
“There’s no hard feelings between anyone here. I think if you’ve got that in the dressing room it’s not healthy at all. You need competition, there’s no two ways about it, so long as it’s healthy. There’s nothing better than that as it keeps people on their toes.
“Every single one of us in that dressing room wants to play. If you’re called upon, fantastic, we’re here to play football. We’re not here to be spectators. We’re here to work hard every single day to improve.”
That drive to better himself extends to the club, too. He does not see what the club achieved prior to his arrival as a glass ceiling, more of a target to be shot at.
He is not the first player within the squad to speak of their desire to taste European football again. He will not be the last. There is a sense of a missed opportunity over the two legs against an underwhelming Astra side, where Inverness acquitted themselves well but lacked the cutting edge to make their advantage count.
The road back to that pot of balls in Nyon starts in earnest tomorrow, with Motherwell the first visitors to the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium for the new season. For the giant goalkeeper to be satisfied, it is going to have to be a successful one.
“I want to win things here. This is a team that’s on the up and I want to be part of it.
“I want to win the cup again and goes as far as we can in the league. If you ask anyone in that dressing room, we’ll be giving this season a good go and we’ll give any team a run for their money.
“It’ll be a tough place to come to. Not many teams will like coming here because they’ll not get the ball. They’ll be chasing shadows the way we’ve been playing.”
As well as interested spectators from the Highlands keeping a close eye on his performances, Fon Williams expects national team manager Chris Coleman to be keeping abreast of his exploits.
A text from the Wales manager upon his arrival in Inverness, congratulating him on the move and wishing him and the club success for the season, showed the ex-Crewe Alexandra youth he remains on Coleman’s radar.
The next year will be massive for Wales. Unbeaten atop Group B in the race to qualify for the European Championships, held in France next year, they face a double-header against Cyprus and Israel in September that will go a long way to deciding their fate.
Fon Williams, still to make his national team debut, wants to be part of something special.
“We’ve got a few games left in the group and we just need to hang in there. Fingers crossed, maybe Wales can write a bit of history just like Caley Thistle have done this year.
“That’s a dream of mine from when I was a kid, to be part of the national side. I’m very proud of what I’m involved with, whatever it is. I’m really proud to be wearing this jersey and that goes the same for my national team. Whatever I do, I give it my everything.
“I’d run from Inverness to Dover and I’d swim the channel to get to France! That’s how hungry I am for success, whatever it is and whatever it takes. Wherever there’s a way, there’s a will. I’ll do my best to get there.”
A European Championships place would coincide with the expiration of his Caley Thistle contract but even with 12 months to go, he is hoping any new deal would be a formality.
“What a great place to live and work. So why would you want to leave? It’s a team that’s on the up, so why would you leave? I’ve only been here two weeks but I’ve got that real homely feeling again.”
