'Rolls-Royce' defender is prime example of Paul Cook's Chesterfield methods

Williams, 29, joined Chesterfield from Solihull Moors for a fee in November 2021 when James Rowe was manager.

When Cook returned to the club in February 2022 Williams had to be patient, starting just two of 11 games, before getting a run in the side as the Spireites just about secured a play-off place but lost to Solihull in the semi-finals.

At the start of last season Williams started 19 of the first 20 league matches, before a defeat at Halifax and the arrival of Ash Palmer, saw him not start any of the next 11, including not being in the squad five times. He then came back in for five successive starts, but a 1-1 draw at home to Yeovil Town on March 11 was the last we saw of him as Palmer and Chesterfield finished third before suffering Wembley heartache.

Whether missing out on a chance to play at Wembley was a wake-up call for Williams, who knows, but a change in his physique was noticeable right from the start of pre-season. He looked fitter, stronger, quicker, taller, sharper.

And this season he is reaping the rewards of what must have been a lot of hard work in the summer. He has made 17 appearances and he is yet to experience defeat.

His performances have been described by some fans as like a ‘Rolls-Royce.’ The centre-back’s improvement on the ball is evident and his one-on-one defending has gone up several notches. It is why he has recently been rewarded with a new contract until summer 2025.

When Cook returned two years ago, he couldn’t understand why the turnover of players was so high. Rather than work and improve the ones they had, the answer was always to recruit again. “That is not my way at all,” Cook said.

At the start of this season when Chesterfield were conceding a lot of goals, many thought that a new defence was needed. Was this a title-winning back four? There were doubts.

But the improvement of Williams, as well as the likes of Ryheem Sheckleford and Branden Horton, have proved a lot of us wrong.

"I look at the back four now and they are outstanding,” Cook told 1866 Sport. “I just think the continuous cycle of change is wrong. There is no such thing as working with players to get better. We are not what I would call a great defensive team, but the goals we concede now have probably halved, probably less than that, and that is through the lads watching clips, going back on the training ground, through working hard to get better, and the front lads working hard not to give the ball away as cheaply.”