It is often said possession is ninth-tenths of the footballing law and rookie ‘keeper Jason Williams believes it will be tough justice if he is jettisoned after impressing in the Hogges’ sojourn to the United States.

Should Williams retain his number one jersey it will ironically be at the expense of the man he credits for refining his game — veteran Timmy Figureido.

Having been the next cab in the rank all season Williams made his debut in the Hogges’ narrow defeat against Crystal Palace Baltimore at the weekend, with Figureido unable to travel due to work commitments. He followed up that impressive showing with a man-of-the-match performance against Richmond Kickers and has handed coach Lightbourne a selection quandary ahead of tonight’s clash with Wilmington Hammerheads.

And while Williams said he will except — and respect — his coach’s decision, he concedes he will be disappointed if he has to resume his role as Figureido’s understudy.

“Although we lost both games I thought I played well against Baltimore and Richmond. The score-lines do not reflect that but I don’t think there was much more I could have done with the goals.

“Obviously I will be very disappointed if I miss out and I hope I have given the coaching staff a tough decision to make. Having got a couple of games under my belt I am desperate to have a run in the team but I will accept it if Timmy returns.

“To be fair it has been Timmy more than anyone who has helped improve my game. He has done a lot of work with me this season and I can feel within myself the progress I have made. But he has been in good form and I have a lot of respect for him — but we all want to play.”

Williams faces further competition with Bermudian international Nigel Burgess joining the Hogges last Friday after returning from university in the United States.

The 26-year-old travelled with the squad at the weekend and Williams admits he felt the pressure of Burgess’ presence prior to his debut.

“Nigel has certainly increased the competition for places and I did feel under pressure to perform” he said. “I knew if I slipped up he would be on standby to take my place. But it’s healthy to have competition and I don’t think there’s much difference between the three of us in ability — it will be an interesting tussle. Hopefully I will keep my jersey but I know I will have to be at the top my game with those two also challenging”

Coach Kyle Lightbourne was full of praise for Williams’ performances and admitted it presented him with a selection headache with Figureido now available.

“It’s my job to make tough decisions and Jason has certainly given me a difficult one to make,” said Lightbourne.

“I thought he played very well in both games and was not at fault for any of the goals. Although defensively we have had problems this season both Timmy and Jason have been excellent. And with Nigel Burgess now on board we are well blessed in the goal-keeping department at least.”