Danny Williams' Top Five Reading FC Moments

After four years at Reading, Danny Williams' departure was finally announced today as the midfielder joined Huddersfield on a two-year contract.

Williams played a total of 156 games for the club, scoring 14 times. But what moments stand out from those games? Olly has ranked his top five, and you can vote for your favourite in the poll below....

5. Winning goal vs Wolves (2014-15)

One of Danny's best goals in a Reading shirt. The Royals travelled to Wolves in February 2015 having not won any of their last four away games, but Pavel Pogrebnyak's goal after 20 seconds gave them the perfect start at Molineux.

Benik Afobe equalised before half-time, but Williams popped up with 20 minutes to go to complete an excellent team move by producing a superb finish from outside the box following Garath McCleary's cut back. Steve Clarke's side held on to claim a much needed win against a Wolves side on an eight game unbeaten run going in to the fixture.

It was actually his only goal that season, but the somewhat strange, yet passionate celebration showed how much it meant to Williams and personified his consistent hunger and desire in a Reading shirt.

4. Last minute penalty vs Ipswich (2016-17)

This wasn't the most entertaining of games back last September, with the boo boys out in force as the Madejski Stadium crowd were still adapting to Jaap Stam's style of play (as were the team).

Garath McCleary's penalty had given Reading the lead on the stroke of half-time, with Brett Pitman scoring from the spot too just after the break to level things up. The game would end up being decided by a third spot-kick when Joey van den Berg was brought down in the box in second half stoppage time.

With McCleary off the pitch, it was Williams who stepped up and showed nerves of steel to give Reading the victory in the 95th and lift them up to third in the table. It was a key moment in the context of the season as it came in the middle of a six game unbeaten run that showed Reading would be one to watch out for the remainder of the campaign.

3. Goal of the Season vs Blackburn (2015-16)

Following Steve Clarke's sacking in December 2015, Brian McDermott was appointed Reading's new manager nearly three years after he himself had been dismissed by the club. His second spell in charge at the Madejski Stadium began with a 1-0 win over Blackburn thanks to Danny Williams' superb strike that was surely the best he ever scored in the blue and white hoops.

With the game just 11 minutes old, a ball up-field was flicked on by Hal Robson-Kanu for Williams to run on to on the right wing, and the midfielder struck it expertly on the volley first time, seeing it loop into the far left top corner over the helpless Jason Steele.

It may not have met much in the grand scheme of things as there was to be no revival under McDermott, but the goal earned Williams high praise and was named as one of the top five goals of 2015 by the EFL.

2. Goal after 15 seconds vs Middlesbrough (2015-16)

Earlier that campaign when thinks were looking all rosy under Steve Clarke, Williams nearly wrote himself into the record books when he scored after just 15 seconds against Middlesbrough.

The Royals kicked-off and Boro hadn't even touched the ball by the time the American powered his header past Dimitrios Konstantopoulos. Only Jimmy Kebe (against West Brom in 2010) and Mark White (against York City in 1985) have scored faster goals in a Reading shirt. Incredibly, it was Williams' first Madejski Stadium goal despite being at the club for over two years - his previous five goals had all come away from home.

Nick Blackman scored a penalty late in the second half to give Reading an impressive 2-0 victory over a Middlesbrough side who sat second at the time. The result also came in the middle of a three game unbeaten run and lifted the Royals to third.

1. Winning goal vs Charlton (2013-14)

For what it meant at the time, this for me was Williams' best moment in a Reading shirt. Having signed from Hoffenheim the previous summer, the midfielder was still settling in by the time the Royals visited Charlton in early April 2014, but his winning goal at the Valley and the celebrations that followed made him an instant hero.

Reading were controlling the game, and in the 73rd minute Danny Guthrie surged forward from midfield, flicked it through to Williams who took one touch to control and a second to smash past former Reading goalkeeper Ben Hamer. Pandemonium ensued as the midfielder made his way to 2,000 odd travelling fans where he was mobbed along with the rest of his teammates. Deniss Rakels would do the same two years later!

Even with Royston Drenthe in the side, that squad appeared like a real team unit that day and as the final whistle blew there was perhaps a naive sense that we could get promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking through the play-offs, with the victory creating a five point cushion in sixth place. Of course we all know what happened next, embarrassing pitch invasion and all.

***

What was your favourite Danny Williams moment/goal? Vote in the poll below and have your say in the comments.