Williams feels back to his best after fitness concerns

A string of niggling injuries forced George Williams into a decision to step away from the game for a few weeks to recover properly.

Williams, who has been a fixture in Dons' line-up since 2016, suffered an injury early in pre-season forcing him out of the first part of the season. Returning against Ipswich in October though, the 27-year-old made five starts before spending another month on the sidelines.

While his most recent stint out of the side was not caused by one injury in particular, Williams said he felt he was suffering a series of little injuries which were preventing him from playing the way he wanted to, and after a discussion with Russell Martin, the pair agreed he needed time to properly prepare for a second return.

"I didn't want to miss anything, but my body wasn't right," he said. "After a few games, I was starting to get niggles which weren't enough to keep me out but I wasn't 100 per cent.

"I had a chat with the gaffer, and it was good to shut my body down for a week or two, get right and do a fitness camp. It has been good for me, and now I can focus on staying fit and playing as many games as possible.

"I've never missed pre-season before, got injured in week two and missed all of it. You don't realise the effect it has on your body. I was playing a lot of games, Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday, and my body was wearing down, which is unlike me.

"I've spent a lot of time with the physios getting my fitness back up, like a mini pre-season which has been good, and I've got minutes against Barnet so I hope I can get in the team again now. It has been a bit stop-start for me, and frustrating, but I can't wait to get back out on the pitch."