Ex-Rotherham and Fulham man can be part of a prolific Portsmouth side - even if he's not a regular goalscorer

The Australia international caught the eye when starting in wins over Burton and Southend earlier this month.

However, he was surprisingly dropped for last weekend's 2-1 defeat of MK Dons. Instead, Ronan Curtis came back into the line-up following his two-goal salvo against the Shrimpers.

Williams was guilty of missing decent chances in his two previous games from the outset.

The former Fulham man hasn't been as ruthless in the final third as fellow wingers Curtis and Marcus Harness since returning to Fratton Park in June 2019.

Last season, Williams bagged three goals in 36 games and is yet to net this term. Over the same period, Harness and Curtis have notched 14 and 17 times respectively.

But Jackett feels the ex-Barnsley man's pace going forward, coupled with his work ethic off the ball, mean he can be part of a successful formula.

When asked if adding goals is Williams' next challenge, the Pompey boss said: ‘Yes, of course but he can certainly be part of a winning formula and a winning formula that scores a lot of goals.

‘You do need a balance of the team. Ryan works hard and he's quick – people don't like playing against him because he has pace.

‘He's also very good at winning the ball back so those things do contribute to you winning games.

‘Ryan has played well and gives everything that he's got in every game. He makes a good impact off the bench as well.

‘He's trained hard and I've been pleased with his contributions.’

Jackett's rotated his wingers in recent matches, with Michael Jacobs starting on the left and Curtis on the right against MK Dons.

The Pompey manager is hoping to settle down his forwards, however.

He added: ‘We do want to settle the team down if we can. In early games, we haven't been as cohesive as we can.

‘At Burton, we felt it was a good performance and, in terms of rotating players, we will see.

‘In the end, you do want a side to get into a rhythm, know their jobs and, perhaps most importantly, produce winning perfomances.’

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