FORMER Worcester City defender George Williams has secured a permanent move to League One side Bristol Rovers.

The 27-year-old versatile defender is new manager Paul Tisdale's first permanent signing as boss.

Williams first cut his teeth in professional football with Worcester between 2013 and 2014 after coming through the academy ranks at MK Dons.

He made 55 appearances for City, scoring two goals before moving into the Football League with Barnsley.

Williams has since has spells at Barrow on loan before enjoying five successful years back at MK Dons, quickly becoming a mainstay of the Dons side, picking up both the Player of Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards in his first season back at Stadium MK.

While with the Dons, Williams secured the second promotion of his career as MK Dons achieved automatic promotion to Sky Bet League One during the 2018/19 season.

This season, the defender has played over 600 minutes spanning across 12 games, with his last outing coming in the Emirates FA Cup against Burnley. In late December he reached the 200 career appearance milestone.

On the signing, Rovers' Manager Paul Tisdale said, “We are delighted to bring George to the football club.

“He’s a player that I know very well and understands how I like to operate. His experience and understanding of this level will be a bonus for us, with a number of promotions on his CV.

"His high level of professionalism and his attitude and application, both on and off the pitch, match the standards of what we expect at Bristol Rovers and we look forward to welcoming George into the group over the busy schedule ahead of us."