January 4 2019

Jonny Williams

JONNY WILLIAMS has left Crystal Palace and joined League One outfit Charlton Athletic on a permanent basis.

The 25-year-old Welsh midfielder has been at the Eagles since the age of 8, but during his time at the club only made 71 appearances, with his career blighted by injuries.

In an interview with the official Palace website he said: "It’s a very strange feeling, I don’t think it’ll hit me until I properly leave.

"But I’ve made some great memories here and met some great people who’ll I’ll stay in touch with for the rest of my life. Palace has been my life."

Reflecting on his 17 years at the club he stated: "I think the club has come on leaps and bounds

"We’re a good Premiership team now. I’ve been there when we were borderline in administration. I was in the Academy and if we didn’t beat Sheffield Wednesday that day, I might have had to go and look for another team.

"That says it all really. I went to the Wolves game last night and we were better than them. That’s a credit to what the gaffer’s created.

Speaking about the highlights during his time at the club he added: "My debut against Coventry City at home was a highlight.

"Dougie [Freedman] brought me on with about 20 minutes left, we were 1-0 down and managed to win 2-1 with two late goals.

"The Play-Off Final was something I’d never dreamed of as a kid.

"To be doing that at 19 with the club I’ve been with all my life was a dream come true to be honest.

"I didn’t actually sleep that night! I’d been to the final against West Ham United when Neil Shipperley scored and I just spent all my time watching videos, it meant so much to be to get that win.

"Making my Premier League debut was also something I never thought I’d do in my career. To do it in a Palace shirt made it a very special day."

End of an era, jwills93 massive thank you for everything you gave us. A wonderful player and person. Good luck and best wishes from me and everyone at #cpfc https://t.co/uqpmIoSkjC

— Steve Parish (@CEO4TAG) January 4, 2019