Jonny Williams has revealed he wanted to stay at Swindon Town when his contract ended but the club could not make it happen. The Welsh international, who was the club's top scorer in his final season, discussed his exit on The Fozcast podcast with Ben Build.

Williams joined Swindon ahead of the 2021/22 season, dropping two divisions to reunite with manager Ben Garner after leaving Cardiff City. "I really enjoyed my time at Swindon," Williams said. "It was off the back of coming from Cardiff in the Championship, so I dropped two leagues to sign for Ben Garner, who I had at Palace in the academy. I had a really good relationship with him." The move came shortly after he represented Wales at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament.

His first season ended in playoff heartbreak with a semi-final loss to Port Vale. The following campaign saw managerial changes as Garner and Ben Chorley left, replaced by Scott Lindsey and then Jody Morris, with the team finishing mid-table. Despite the instability, Williams scored more goals and provided more assists for Swindon than for any other club in his career.

Broken promises

Williams indicated that assurances given when he signed did not materialise. "I really enjoyed my years there, but a lot of things were promised at the start that never came to fruition," he explained. By the end of his two-year deal, both parties agreed a renewal was not feasible. "I really wanted to stay at the time, but it wasn’t made possible for one reason or another, and then I was looking for another club," Williams said.

He returned to the County Ground on trial in the summer of 2023 under then-manager Ian Holloway, featuring in friendlies against Bristol City and Leyton Orient. Holloway opted not to offer him a contract, leading Williams to train at a PFA pre-season camp before eventually joining Gillingham, where he made more appearances than he did in three seasons with Swindon.

Swindon's current form

The club has moved on and is currently enjoying a strong start to the League Two season. Swindon Town sit second in the table with 10 points from five games, just two points behind leaders Bristol Rovers. Their recent form reads WWLWD, with back-to-back 3-1 victories over Port Vale and Colchester United. Aaron Drinan's hat-trick sealed the latest win against Colchester. Fans can track the team's progress via the official standings and fixtures pages.

Williams' candid comments provide insight into a period of transition for the club, which now looks firmly focused on the present campaign and a push for promotion.