JORDAN Williams is enjoying the challenge of moving to centre-back and captaining Barnsley while saying negotiations are ongoing over a new contract.
The Reds skipper, who turned 24 on Sunday, is out of contract at the end of the season which he hopes will end in promotion after losing the play-off final last year.
Williams, who has played 164 games since joining in 2018, told the Chronicle: “Negotiations are going on. It’s not up to me. It’s down to everyone else.
“My main aim is to keep doing well for the club and hopefully we can do one better than last season. I have loved my time here and I want to help the club back into the Championship.”
Willliams was made captain last month after Liam Kitching was sold to Coventry.
“I haven’t changed much. The gaffer told me I should just be myself and everyone respects me.
“I thought it could be my time (after Kitching left).
“I got the armband in the cup and had that thought it my head. When the gaffer told me I was over the moon.”
Williams is not the old-fashioned aggressive captain. He said: “I don’t think there’s any need for shouting at someone and digging them out. It will just make them disheartened and down. I try to do it a different way, by picking them up.
“We have got a lot of leaders.
“People might not think it but there are a lot of people who speak in the dressing room and are trying to progress and improve the team.”
Barnsley have made a better start than last season in terms of points but Williams thinks they can play much better.
“We started the season off slow last year, and this year as well. But we have more points this year. Hopefully we can keep building on that, improve the home form and keep the away form and hopefully we’ll be up there.”
Barnsley lost all three starting centre-backs from last season and have moved Williams from right wing-back to the back three to play alongside summer signings Mael de Gevigney and Jamie McCart.
“We have been doing well. It shows how things are progressing. We have to stay tight at the back then we can score goals at any point because of the quality we have on the pitch and on the bench.”
On de Gevigney, Williams said: “He’s done well. His first game wasn’t the greatest but since then he has been unbelievable. You could see that in training since he’s been here.
“The standards he sets for himself and the way he trains are excellent.”
On his change of positions, Williams said: “I spoke to the gaffer about what we think. It’s a weird one.
“I probably wouldn’t say I am a centre-back or a wing-back. I am more of a right-back but we don’t play that.
“The more I play the more natural it becomes. You get used to certain scenarios in games and, playing with players every week, you grow bonds. The whole backline have grown.”
