Hitchin Town Football Club
Founded 1865, Reformed 1928
It's like coming back home, says Charlie
Saturday, July 5 2003
Carl Williams re-signed for Hitchin this week and straight away declared "I've come back home and it feels very good."
Williams, known as Charlie to fans and team mates alike, spent just one year away from Top Field, moving to Bedford at the end of the 2001-02 season. He joined the Canaries in September 1996.
"I'd been at Hitchin a long time and I needed a change. The year away has improved me as a player and I can't wait for the season to start, this is an exciting time at the club," he says.
Williams, an honest player never frightened to express an opinion, sees the current squad as "full of youth and willingness to perform." Personally, he wants to get onto the scoresheet more often, his first spell at Hitchin saw him score just 26 goals in 265 appearances. "I know I don't score enough, so that's my number one priority, but I'm looking forward to playing with the lads again and working with the likes of Kerry Dixon."
At Bedford, Williams saw the man who signed him, Roger Ashby, sacked after half a dozen games. Ironically, the man who replaced him, Kevin Wilson, was a team-mate of Dixon's at Chelsea.
"Kevin is a good coach and he helped my game no end. But the lure of coming back to Hitchin was too much. I certainly missed the team spirit and the overall spirit at the club. You take things for granted when you've been around for a long time, but at Hitchin, there is a special atmosphere," he insists.
And Canaries fans may also see a new Carl Williams on the pitch. "I've grown up a bit since I left the club, in fact, I will be one of the older players, so it will be part of my job to set a good example."
