Ryan Williams: 'I fell out of love for football after leaving Portsmouth for Oxford United'
Oxford United signed the Australia winger in June 2021 after his Fratton Park exit
Ryan Williams has revealed he fell out of love with football after leaving Pompey for Oxford United.
And it took a return to his native Australia just 12 months later for him to rediscover it.
Following a Fratton Park departure in the summer of 2021 which left him ‘heartbroken’, the winger was snapped up on a free transfer by U’s boss Karl Robinson.
Signing on a two-year deal, it marked a second spell at the Kassam Stadium, having previously spent a season on loan there from Fulham in 2013-14.
However, the reunion proved to be a deeply unhappy one, with Williams desperate to leave after just six months.
‘I hated Oxford that much’
He told The News: ‘Staying at Pompey wasn’t meant to be, then I went to Oxford, fell out of love for football, and ended up going back to Australia to fall back in love with it again. Everything happens for a reason.
‘Every day, I drove to Oxford from our home in Knowle and it was a nightmare, I was never used to travelling that much.
‘It wasn’t about Pompey, that’s just the way my career had gone at that point. Instead I was focussed on going to Oxford and playing attacking football. It didn’t really happen like that. I wasn’t even playing as a winger.
‘Our first game at Cambridge United saw me play on the right wing, I got an assist on my debut, came off in the 59th minute as it finished 1-1, all good.
‘The next game was at home to Charlton, with both of our right-backs injured, so I ended up playing there. I scored in a 2-1 win, got man of the match - and was stuck at right-back.
‘Then in September, we lost 3-1 at Wimbledon and I had a bad game, I’m the first to admit that. Afterwards the manager absolutely smashed me. For about two months, I literally didn’t get a minute for about two months after.
‘I just thought “What am I doing?”. I had played badly, but there are 46 more games in the season. I just resented Karl Robinson and then played right wing-back, right-back, then left wing-back. What am I doing here?
‘I almost went back to Australia in the January, I hated it that much. I needed to get out of there before I lost my love for football and it doesn’t come back. It’s what sometimes happens to players.’
Australia career lifeline
Following 36 appearances and two goals, Williams departed the Kassam Stadium in June 2022, half-way through his two-year deal.
The ex-Pompey man started 24 of their 26 A-League fixtures, scoring four times, as Perth finished ninth, before switching to Indian Super League side Bengaluru in July 2023.
‘Luckily I managed to get away from Oxford United’
He remains with Bengaluru, helping them into fourth place this season, while losing the Indian Super League final 2-1 to Mohun Bagan SG in April - yet loving football again.
He added: ‘Luckily I managed to get away from Oxford and was back enjoying my football again.
‘I return to Perth, surrounded by my family and friends. It was the first time I had lived in Perth since I was 15 and I absolutely loved it and had a half-decent season.
‘Then I had a couple of sniffs from Asia, which is what I always wanted to do and experience, so ended up coming to India. Which I am absolutely loving.
‘Getting away from Oxford and moving back to Australia was probably the best thing that could have happened.’
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