Get the latest Boro stories straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter Enter your email Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Rhys Williams has accepted he won’t have a part to play on the pitch in Boro’s promotion run-in - but he’s still absolutely desperate to end his time on Teesside with the club in the Premier League.

The classy 27-year-old has dreamt of helping Boro back into the top flight and fighting his way back into the team but believes he has to move on to kick-start his stuttering career once more.

And after confirming his summer move to his homeland to join Perth Glory , Williams offered a heartfelt thanks to Boro’s fans.

But before then, with three games to play as Boro look to secure promotion, the former club captain says he’ll "jump on the wagon and support them all the way".

“There would be no greater feeling for me than to see Middlesbrough go into the Premier League,” he said.

“That’s what we need to do. We’re good enough, we’re the best team in the league. All of the lads are hungry and driven, as is the manager and his staff.

“I’ll always support the team. It’s a great bunch of lads, a great manager and staff and I’m here for them all.

“I’d love to be involved but it’s not going to happen, so the next best thing is to jump on the wagon with them and support them all the way.

“It’s a great set up and one that deserves to be in the Premier League. I’ve been saying this since we went down. We’ve never been in this situation of being so close so let’s get there together.”

He added: “I’d just like to thank the fans for all they’ve done for me.

“At the end of the season I’ll have been here 11-and-a-half years.

“They’ve been great towards me and when I was playing they were great.

“It’s good to see them all coming back now and they need to keep getting behind the team like they have done the last two years, pushing them on to where we all want to be.”

It’s been a difficult couple of years for Williams.

The 14-timeAustralian international was a regular under Tony Mowbray, his cool and composed manner and ability to play in a number of positions ensuring he established himself in the side, eventually being named as club captain.

But misfortune struck in the form of two cruel injury blows.

Williams initially suffered a career threatening Achilles injury against Wigan in January 2014. And the devastation was etched on his face when he returned 12 months later in an FA Cup tie at Barnsley, only to crumble to the turf in the first minute of the game having suffered a similar injury.

(Image: © CameraSport)

Williams battled back to fitness once more but accepted first team opportunities would be hard to come by.

A forgettable loan stint at crisis club Charlton at least allowed him the chance of first team game time, but he made no secret of his desire to return to his homeland when his Boro contract expired at the end of the current season.

With Williams still harbouring hopes of a place in Australia’s 2018 World Cup squad, he’s delighted to have signed a one-year deal with Perth Glory, where he will be managed by Billingham-born Kenny Lowe, a 54-year-old who started his career at Hartlepool before finishing his playing days at Gateshead.

He’ll also join up with his younger brother Aryn, who is a member of Perth’s squad.

“I’ve known the manager at Perth since I was a kid,” Williams told the club website.

“He’s a family friend of my parents and obviously with it being my home town club and the team I’ve supported it’s something I’d looked at.

“If I had everything my way I probably wouldn’t be going home this early because I had dreams of getting Middlesbrough promoted and playing in the Premier League.

“But for me personally I knew that I needed to get home to kick-start my career again. With the manager there, the lifestyle and my family around me that’s going to help me play my best football.

“This is my home, really. I’ve had all of my adult life here. I’ve met some great friends and gone through some great managers.

“Obviously the chairman has been there, too, the lads and the staff and it will be difficult leaving.

“But let’s hope I can leave on a high. I’ll give all of my support to the manager and the boys as much as I can to the end of the season. I’m always here to support everyone.”