Williams talks transition to cross-town rivals

When former SuperSport United skipper Ronwen Williams decided to leave the club in favour of Mamelodi Sundowns after his 18-year stay at Matsatsantsa, one could tell that it was never going to be a completely smooth transition.

After lengthy negotiations between the two clubs, a deal was struck and then the real work started for the Bafana Bafana captain.

Williams joined Bafana Ba Style at the beginning of the season on a permanent move with immediate effect for an undisclosed fee.

And that meant the 30-year-old goal-minder needed to quickly start the sporting and social adaptation to a new team.

WILLIAMS EXPLAINS

“You know SuperSport has been part of my life for 18 years. So, in the beginning, was still difficult in terms of the transition,” Williams told the SAFA media department.

“But I had to take my  SuperSport hat immediately and start focusing on my new team, and get the ball running because you want to start your career at a new club on a positive note.

“I think the quicker I took off my SuperSport hat the better it was for me. I think my start to my career at Sundowns has been good.”

The SurperSport alumni was quick to credit his former teammates at Matsatsantsa who he just reunited with at Downs for helping him get settled in.

“The nice thing was that I knew most of the players. I played with them at SuperSport as well at the national team so it wasn’t too much of transition it was just to get to know how they do things that side,” he said.

He made over 350 appearances for SuperSport, with seven winner’s medals under his belt which includes three Nedbank Cups, two MTN 8 trophies and one Telkom Knockout title.

He also won the Premier Soccer League (PSL) Young Player of the Year in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons. MTN8 last man standing in 2017/18 and PSL Goalkeeper of the Year in the 2018/2019 and 2019/20 seasons.

The goalkeeper got a chance to play against his former side earlier this month where Sundowns succumbed to a 2-1 defeat in the DStv Premiership at Lucas Moripe Stadium Stadium.

WILLIAMS ON FACING HIS FORMER CLUB

“It is part and parcel of the game as it t was bound to happen. Obviously, there were a lot of emotions on the day seeing familiar faces and it was my first time ever playing against SuperSport.

“You know, I had played against all the teams in the PSL, past and present, but SuperSport was the only team I had not played against for obvious reasons.

However, I had a job to do on the day for my new team and I’m professional like that.”

Williams has played 10 games for Masandawana since the commencement of the new seasosn.