Ahead of what arguably will be his side’s biggest test to date against promotion favourites Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon, the former Notts County manager feels his side can compete with the best in the division.
The Swans head to Lancashire off the back of wins against Oxford United and Watford which had seen them climb into the top ten in the table ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures.
Full back Josh Tymon returns to the mix following suspension for the Swans, who will be without Jay Fulton, Ollie Cooper and Eom Ji-Sung. Williams aims to see both Fulton and the South Korean back in action after the forthcoming international break.
“I think we owe it to ourselves to be in the position we are in [at the end of the season] as a minimum,” said the Swans boss in his pre-match conference.
“We owe it to ourselves. We are sitting ninth and we are within striking distance, and we should be seeking to be in that position and no lower.
“If I look at the performances up to this point, now we have a significant number of games to look at, I think we’re in a position that’s not false.
“We deserve to be at least in this position so therefore if we can continue at this rate, we shouldn’t expect to fall lower.
“Of course you can dip. I am talking about when all is said and done, we should be there or thereabouts, where we are now, at least. Then come on, let’s be ambitious and try to improve so that we can do something really exciting.
“We have Josh [Tymon] back but otherwise we are as we were from the last game. He [Sam Parker] is with the conditioning team and will hopefully be with the first team soon.
“Jay [Fulton] is not quite there yet. He hasn’t trained with the full squad yet so needs a bit longer.
“Hopefully, after the international break, maybe a bit longer [for Eom Ji-Sung]. That is the plan.”
Burnley enter the weekend in fourth position in the table but are without a win in four matches following their goalless draw at West Bromwich Albion.
Despite the drop in form, Williams is fully aware of the challenge ahead come Sunday afternoon.
“It’s as big a test as they get. It’s going to be a very tough place to play football and establish ourselves,” continued Williams.
“They are a team with a lot of quality and a manager with a lot of experience.
“We know it’s going to be a really tough game but we’re preparing for that now and we’re looking forward to it.
“We have shown that we can compete with the top sides in the division. We have to make sure we do a better job at competing with the teams in and around us, and then when we take on the top teams, we can be a little freer.”
[Lead image: Swansea City FC]
