Let's Go Brandon

With about ten minutes left of Saturday's game with Sheffield Wednesday, the hapless Ashley Fletcher desperately wrestled himself free of Luke Woolfenden’s clutches just long enough to poke the ball wide in the vague direction of his centre back, Liam Palmer. The ball drifted tantalisingly between Palmer and Brandon Williams, setting up a genuine fifty-fifty, one which Palmer did not fancy, not even slightly.

So good has been our start to the season, we've had very little cause to call on our new signings in the league thus far. Omari Hutchinson has got just 60 minutes, Jack Taylor 25, Axel Tuanzebe and Dane Scarlett are yet to feature. Only returning loanee George Hirst has had any significant opportunity to repay any Summer investment. Williams was always the likeliest new boy to first usurp one of the class of 2022-23, even before Leif Davis went down clutching his ankle, a victim of flailing elbow machine Callum Paterson. Davis is a solid shout for best Left Back in the division, so watching him thump the turf in agony whilst Cam Burgess held his hand was more than a bit alarming, although apparently he was in better spirits when he left the ground.

The small compensation for Leif’s exit was the chance to see someone new, properly, rather than in cameo and Carabao. On bounded Williams for a good fifty minutes of football at left back, apparently his favoured position. Brandon's Ipswich career to date had been a little calamitous, I'm afraid to say. He came on against Leeds to relieve the frazzled Harry Clarke, who had just had a seventy-minute ordeal trying and failing to mark Luis Sinisterra. Poor Brandon hadn't the time to fully establish which way he was supposed to be facing before more tricky Colombian wing play left him all twizzled about and flat on his arse. He then started away at Reading and within two minutes had an own goal for his personal lowlights reel. The EFL apparently doesn't want anyone watching their premier cup competition, so no-one can tell you how the rest of his game went from there. Things did get better though, with a lovely pitching wedge down the line to Omari Hutchinson to set our winning goal against Cardiff in motion.

After all that, we finally got a proper look at him, nearly a full hour to show case all his best work and all his dirty work. And boy does Brandon love the dirty work. As that wayward Fletcher pass spun out in his direction, you could see his eyes light up all the way from the upper tier of the Leppings Lane End. Some players bloody love a battle. Williams got their first, half a yard quicker in actual geography and several miles faster in "that’s my fucking ball" attitude. Having left bits of poor Liam Palmer sprawled out behind him, he drove forward with purpose, hoovering up ground on the counter. The next Sheffield Wednesday defender who then came to meet him wished he hadn’t, as Williams’ next touch saw him burn inside him too, before finally his enthusiasm got the better of him and he played a rather indelicate hoik over the Owls’ backline and safely into the arms of Vazquez in the opposition goal.  

A little nothing moment, but just enough to whet the appetite, just to give us a flavour of what must have persuaded those Norwich fans to print a banner begging him to stay up the A140. A little moment combining desire, athleticism and quality that elevated him above some of the other players on show.

There were a few others. A scythe of a slide tackle down by the touchline (also on Palmer), well-timed, technically-sound, with just a slight (enjoyable) excess of violence to it. A taste of his own medicine for Elbowtron Paterson that left the Scotsman sprawled on the deck and whinging to the referee. A few good fouls won by being a little too quick to the ball. A little dance through the midfield to bring a contested ball out from a thicket of challenges, safely into a comfortable spell of possession. A few more composed zipped passes. Despite the difficulties of playing inside-out full back in an unfamiliar system, he was almost always one step too quick for the Sheffield Wednesday forwards (admittedly, he’ll have greater challenges).

I like him. He’s fun. There’s a lot to love in players who permanently seem to have the bit between their teeth. He’s giving me Mauricio Taricco vibes, with his spiky persona, the undercurrent of controlled rage, and deceptive quickness. If you believe the Youtube compilations (and you never should), he might even share his two-footedness. Maybe he just needs to grow his hair out.

Brandon Williams v. Sheffield Wednesday

Minutes 45 (ish)

Accurate passes 9/10 (90%)

Touches 25

Successful dribbles 1/1 (100%)

Passes into final third 1

Accurate long balls 2/2 (100%)

Tackles won 1/1 (100%)

Clearances 1

Interceptions 1

Recoveries 6

Ground duels won 6/8 (75%)

Aerial duels won 1/3 (33%)

Fouls committed 2