Crystal Palace loanee Gareth Williams scored on his debut at Kidderminster and today is the last match of his initial one month loan. Whether or not he stays longer, the Wales under-21 international has enjoyed the chance to play first team football, as he explains here.

The pacy striker joined Palace at the age of 16 following trials just before his GCSEs. He had already had an unsuccessful trial with his local League club Cardiff City, although, as Gareth says, "They didn't want to sign me on but it worked out quite well for me in the long run."

So far Gareth has had few chances in the first team at Palace, but he arrived with a good reputation as a goal scorer - not only from his youth and reserve performances with his own club, but from a loan spell at Colchester United last season that yielded six goals in eight appearances.

Palace fans were disappointed to see him go out on loan again without featuring much for their team, and when asked about their reaction he explains, "I haven't actually played that many games but I think word has spread that I've scored a lot of goals for the youth team and I was top scorer in the Combination reserve league for two years in a row.

"A lot of fans have wanted to see me play for the first team but I've got the likes of Dougie Freedman and Neil Shipperley in front of me so it's a bit of an uphill struggle at the moment!"

Given the lack of first team opportunities at Selhurst Park, he has good memories of his loan at Layer Road: "It was my first continuous taste of League football. I'd played a couple of games for Palace but that was just off the bench every now and then, but I went to Colchester and I got myself into a proper match fitness and I felt really sharp.

"When you're only playing every now and then for the reserves you can't really get as match fit as you should. At Colchester I scored a few goals and I think that helped me get my contract extended at Palace, so it went really well all round for everyone."

He was recalled to Selhurst Park during the second month of his loan and understandably expected to feature for the first team, so was disappointed to find himself still on the fringes.

"It is a bit frustrating, especially after doing so well and being called back. It wasn't as though I had finished my loan and then went back; I was called back during my second month so I was kind of expecting to be at least getting on quite regularly from the bench after that.

"But it didn't and that's probably the biggest disappointment of my career so far," he admits.

Gareth reveals that this loan came about because of his own frustration and also because of John Taylor's dogged persistence.

"I said to the manager that I hadn't been used much and I wanted to go out and be playing regularly, so the club and my agent rang round a few people and that's how it came about.

"The Gaffer did affect my decision very much because there were a few clubs interested offering to do this and that, but throughout the whole thing John was always ringing back and forth and my agent was saying 'I've had another call from Cambridge'.

"I decided they were the only team that were really serious about wanting me to go and play, and the others were just messing us around, so I decided to come here and I'm glad I have because it's a great club."

He explains that he has been made to feel welcome by the players, staff and the supporters and enjoys the feeling of community around the club.

"I like the whole thing about it being the city's club and all the local people want to know how you're getting on," he says, "whereas in London there are so many teams that the fans are quite spread out around the area.

"I like the environment; it's as though people can't do enough for you. I wonder if it's to do with the fact that in the Premiership and the top Division One clubs the players are earning a lot of money, whereas you come down to Division Three and people aren't earning a massive amount for a footballer, so people look upon them as normal people rather than the superstars you see on the telly. I think that helps the family atmosphere."

Gareth went straight into the side for the away game at Kidderminster and got his loan off to a great start with a well-taken second half goal to give United the lead before they were pegged back to 2-2.

He admits he took a little while to settle into the game, and when he scored he hardly knew how to celebrate: "It was quite a nice goal and I was buzzing when I scored it so I ended up running around the pitch like a headless chicken!

"It was a pretty difficult game to get into - it was my first game for a while - but then gradually I felt myself getting stronger and wanting to get on the ball more and I think we were unlucky not to win the game."

Now he has had more time to work with the other players he thinks his partnership with Dave Kitson was shaping up well, although it has been interrupted by Kitson's hamstring injury and he will have a different partner up front today.

"He's on fire and scoring a lot of goals, and I think it's good that we've got the two different strikers playing together so I can play off his flicks-ons. He's got very good feet considering his height so we're both good on the ball and I think it's the sort of pairing people look for.

"Like in the Premier League you've got Michael Owen and they looked to play someone like Heskey or Shearer with him with they were playing for England, and even Rooney now is the opposite to Owen, so I think we complement each other quite well."

Asked about his hopes for this loan spell, the personable 21-year-old admits that his current ambitions lie firmly with making his mark at Crystal Palace, so he hopes a successful loan spell will boost his chances.

"I always want to score loads of goals, that goes without saying. Obviously my main hope is to do really well and then when the new manager comes in at Palace hopefully he'll have watched me or have heard about me and he'll want me to go back and play.

"I suppose everyone's long-term ambition is to play in the Premier League and in the major competitions," he adds. "I'd like to get into the Wales first team squad, and if I start playing regularly and do well and score some goals then I've got every chance of getting in the squads.

"My ambition at the moment has got to be to make my mark at Palace," Gareth concludes. "Someone said to me, 'you can't really drop down until you haven't broken through', so if I can't break through then I'll drop down, but at the moment I haven't really had a chance to.

"If I go in and play and I'm just not good enough and the manager decides to let me go, then obviously that's when I would drop down and hopefully start terrorising people."

You can hear the extended interview with Gareth on our U's World multimedia website

"The Quick Fire Round"

If you were on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' and had to phone a friend, which teammate would you choose?

One of the senior pros as they've been around longer, so probably 'Veno'.

Favourite holiday destination, and describe why in one word.

South Africa. Family.

If you weren't a footballer, what would your job be now?

Probably a P.E. teacher

Who do you go to for financial advice?

My Mum, she used to be a financial advisor!

What will you be doing in ten years' time?

Hopefully still playing. I'm only 21 now.

Who is your best mate in the squad?

My best friend in football is David Hunt at Leyton Orient who was at Palace with me in the youth team. Here it's probably Shane Tudor because I stay at his house sometimes and we get on quite well.

Who has the best dress sense in the squad?

Stevland has some nice gear.

And who has the worst?

Luke and Warren have got dodgy hats!

In a film of your life story who would you want to play you and why?

That's a tough one. Someone like Michael Owen so he could do me justice on the pitch!

Porsche or Ferrari?

Ferrari.

Indian or Chinese?

Indian.

Beer or lager?

Lager.

Boxers or briefs?

Boxers.

If you were given tickets for a gig, who would you want to see and why?

At the moment I'd like to see an American rapper called Fabulous, because I've just bought his album and I've got it in my car.

Three words your team-mates might use to describe you?

Top. Class. Striker!

*A shorter version of this interview appeared in the programme for the match against Leyton Orient on 29th November, 2003.

You can hear the full interview with Gareth on our U's World multimedia website. Click here for details about U's World.

Previous Featured Players this season:
23Dec03: Franco Nacca
18Dec03: Shane Tudor
11Dec03: Andy Duncan
04Dec03: Stevland Angus
28Nov03: John Turner
21Nov03: Luke Guttridge
29Oct03:  Stuart Bimson
21Sep03: Warren Goodhind
21Aug03: Dave Kitson
13Aug03: Justin Walker

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