MJ Williams Breaks Goal Drought and Tension at Barrow
MJ Williams didn’t just break his goal drought. He broke the tension around Barrow.
The captain’s first strike in almost two years set the tone for a 3-0 win over Sutton United last Saturday, a result that finally handed new boss Adam Murray his first victory since taking charge in the summer and gave a bruised fanbase something to cling to after relegation from League Two.
For Williams, 30, it felt overdue.
“It was a bit of a shock really but I think I've been due one,” he told BBC Radio Cumbria, still sounding half-amused by his own finish. He has never been known as a regular scorer, and he knows it. “It is something I have always wanted to do is add goals but sometimes I don't find myself in the right positions.”
That, he says, is changing.
Barrow have been drilling set-pieces relentlessly, and the work is starting to show. Williams is arriving in more dangerous areas, timing his runs better, and this time it paid off with the opener that settled nerves and opened the floodgates.
“We work a lot on set-pieces, so I am finding myself in better positions now. It is a massive part of our game and I want to add more goals to my game and hopefully I can this season.”
The goal mattered. The win mattered more.
Six games into the campaign, Barrow finally had three points on the board. After last season’s drop and a stuttering start, the mood around the club had been heavy. Full-time against Sutton felt different: players and fans locked together in a long, loud release.
“It has been tough for the fans, I've never wanted it to be like that, obviously going on from last season,” Williams admitted. “They have been through some tough times, as the club has, and to have that moment with them at the end of the game was massive.”
Since Murray walked through the door, he has hammered home one message – togetherness. Not just in the dressing room, but in the stands as well.
“Since the gaffer has come in, he has spoken about wanting to be all together and have that connection with the fans, and I think in some of our performances we have deserved more from games. To get that 3-0 win and have the scenes at the end was brilliant for all of us.”
Long road, big stakes
Next up is a long haul to Worthing and a date at Woodside Road. It’s the sort of journey that can drain legs and focus, but Williams is having none of the usual caveats.
“We all know it is a long journey but it is a massive game for us,” he said. “It will be a big week for us, we need to go there and put on a good performance. There are no excuses in this game, we will get down there, prepare right and go there with confidence after that first win we have had.”
That confidence has been in short supply over the past year. Too many Sundays spent replaying defeats, too many Mondays walking into a quiet training ground.
“The feeling around the team has been brilliant this week,” Williams said. “When you are not winning it is tough but to wake up on a Sunday knowing you have won on a Saturday is a bit of a relief. Last season we didn't have many of those feelings and it is not nice in football to be coming in when you are not winning.”
The mood has lifted. The standards, he insists, cannot.
“This week has been brilliant for all of us but it is important now that we get back on it on Saturday and get a massive three points.”
One goal has reminded Williams what it feels like. One win has reminded Barrow who they want to be. Now they have to prove it travels.
