Williams aims to step out of shadows of Welsh icons
Neco Williams is in awe of what came before him. The names of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Craig Bellamy revered as everlasting icons of Welsh football. But is walking in their footsteps a gift or a curse?
Living up to the soaring standards set by the aforementioned trio is an expectation Williams and his Wales colleagues have no option but to cope with. Of course, Williams is working alongside one of his heroes in Bellamy, who is currently Wales head coach. The pair face a big week.
Wales face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup play-off semi-final on Thursday before a potential final against Italy or Northern Ireland next week for a place in this summer's tournament. The shadows of Bale and Ramsey et al continue to loom large – but are they an inspiration or a burden? "As kids, you watched the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Craig Bellamy.
You grew up idolising them. You wanted to be like them. "And now that they've retired, it's the new generation to come in.
We're not a massive country and we don't have loads and loads of players. "But the way we are as a team and the togetherness, I think that's what drives us and gets us through. "Where I used to see myself as a youngster, now I'm not that youngster any more.