Is fear holding Williams back? (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

SWINDON TOWN: Is fear holding Williams back?

6:00am Monday 17th September 2012 in Sport By Sam Morshead

Andy WIlliams, left

PAOLO Di Canio has called on Andy Williams to leave fear at the door as he bids to break his goalscoring duck against Portsmouth in midweek.

The former Yeovil striker is still yet to get off the mark in a Swindon Town shirt, despite having registered 17 times for his old club last season, with the trip to Pompey marking the 10th time the 26-year-old will have turned out for the Robins following his arrival in Wiltshire over the summer.

Although goals have been hard to come by for Williams, he has still been one of Town’s stand-out performers over the course of the campaign, and the frontman impressed once again in the 2-2 draw with Carlisle on Saturday.

Now Swindon boss Di Canio wants Williams to abandon any lingering worries he may have of his own game in pursuit of his first strike for his new club.

“I can tell Willo more privately than publically and play him every time. I love you, we love you, everybody loves you because he’s a good professional, a very good footballer, now is the time to leave the fear somewhere,” he said.

“I prefer that you send the ball up to the next pitch there with the doggy than arrive from 30 yards close to the goalkeeper, half a yard away and try an impossible flick because you’re worried.

“I saw him in the training sessions when he arrived in the same situation - he prepared himself to finish 10 yards before because he has space to see the goal.

“You can see in this moment he is worried. Do you think it is the time to keep going and say ‘no problem, no problem? No. I don’t want to say bad words, it is the time to say ‘be calm, strong, leave the fear somewhere’ otherwise you remain at the same level, with all respect, as Yeovil – 18th in the table.

“It’s not because I am angry with him, he will play again, it’s because I prefer them to kick the ball somewhere or let the goalkeeper make the save with his face, make damage, than finish a chance like this.

“This is in a very straight way. It’s been two months, it is clear that I love you, the teammates love you, the fans love you. Now is the time to come out your own.”

Asked why Williams could be playing with the burden of fear, Di Canio said: “Some are not strong like others. We are all different, because of the expectation, because he came with a reputation, because he didn’t score yet, it can be normal.

“If you have a chance like he had (at Carlisle) he has to deliver the ball out and not finish like he finished. It’s not his fault that we drew today but it is time for him to release the brain, he has to help himself.

“I can keep going helping him and in another two months I will keep going, but now the help doesn’t have to come only from Paolo Di Canio but also from himself.

“He has to forget his mistakes otherwise he goes blurry, that is negative for him and his teammates.”