FORMER Worcester City ace George Williams admits he is sad to see the current position the club are in though he is hopeful they can climb the divisions and return to their former state, writes Tom Cavilla.

Williams, now plying his trade at MK Dons, was part of the City side from the 2014-15 season who produced a scintillating FA Cup run.

It included a first-round away triumph at League One Coventry City and a second-round replay in front of a full house at Aggborough with Scunthorpe United — a match that ended as a competition record 14-13 penalty shoot-out defeat.

Since joining Barnsley in 2014, the 25-year-old defender has had a loan spell in the National League at Barrow and is now at Dons — the club he began his footballing career with as a scholar aged 14.

It now seems a lifetime ago that the ex-City fans’ favourite was playing in National League North under former manager Carl Heeley though Williams certainly hasn’t forgotten his roots as he insisted he still keeps in touch with former team-mates and certainly one player in particular.

“I made a best friend there in Graham Hutchison — I see him all the time. And I still speak to the assistant manager Matt Gardiner — he’s at QPR now and we keep in touch,” he said.

A lot has changed since Williams last put on a blue and white shirt with the club falling from the sixth to ninth tier of English football. Though this is something he hopes can soon change.

“It’s definitely sad to see because when I was there we were flying,” said the former City man.

“We had the FA Cup run, we did really well in the league and it was a really good club to be at so to see them drop down was a real shame but hopefully they can pick themselves back up.”

Meanwhile, Williams has enjoyed a meteoric rise from non-league to the heights of League One — a jump he described as “a big step up at first”.

He continued: “When I was at Barnsley I took quite a while to get into the team. But once I did I found my feet and really enjoyed it. Season by season, I feel like I’m getting better and better.”

After two successful years with Barnsley he went full circle in his career by joining MK Dons, the side who released him as an 18-year-old.

He enjoyed a dream return by winning player of the year and players’ player awards in the 2016-17 campaign.

But Dons suffered relegation to League Two last term with Williams having to familiarise himself with new surroundings once more.

The ex-Loughborough University player’s steady rise has seen him play in the sixth, fifth, fourth and third tier of the game.

Williams added: “In League One there are a few teams who are big spenders and will be up there.

“There was Wigan last season and Sunderland this so you get some big dogs paying a lot of money but I don’t think there’s too much of a step from League One to League Two.

“At Worcester it was a very physical league. The main difference is the amount of time you get on the ball, you have to make better decisions.

“In Conference North everybody would be surprised at how quick you have to be. When the ball comes to you, you’re not going to have a lot of time.”