Colchester United made their Championship bow on this day in 2006

It was on this day in 2006 that the U's made their historic bow in the second tier, taking on Birmingham City at St Andrew's on the opening day of the Championship season.

Colchester were beaten 2-1 on the day despite Richard Garcia's fine equaliser but Williams went onto guide them to a magnificent tenth place in the 2006-07 season, which remains their club's highest-ever finish.

It was a glorious season for the U's in their penultimate campaign at Layer Road and former boss Williams says the work-rate and desire of his team was first-class.

He said: “The main group of pros were very, very good and very conscientious.

“That’s what you’ve got to have because if you’ve got the drive and the characters are all that way, then they’ll drive the others on and if anyone acts the fool, they won’t suffer that themselves.

“As a manager, you want the dressing room to manage themselves almost on things like discipline and desire.

“If you can get that, then it makes it a lot easier.

“We lost a lot of the lads that summer but that’s football and it was great for the lads, because they deserved to play higher.

“We did alright with Greg Halford; Doogie was there as well – he came through from the youth set-up.

“Kem Izzet who we got off Charlton was a young lad who got first-team opportunities and Mark Yeates was similar.

“There was loads and the young players in the last years I was there with them did get an opportunity in the first team.

“We beat Ipswich 1-0 at Layer Road and finished tenth which was above Norwich and Ipswich, that year.

“And we beat Ipswich 2-0 at Layer Road the next year.

“When you’re beating the likes of Sunderland 3-1 at home in great matches, winning 11 games at home on the trot in the Championship, you don’t realise those days aren’t going to go on forever.

“Arthur Cox once said about me as a player when I was at Derby that you didn’t realise what I did until I’d gone!

“If they conceded goals, he’d say ‘George would have stopped that, he’d have seen it’."

Williams, working alongside his assistant Mick Harford, ensured Colchester defied all the odds to challenge in the top half of the Championship table.

They enjoyed some magnificent form at Layer Road in particular that season, beating the likes of Sunderland, Southampton, QPR and Cardiff City.

“It was hard work," added Williams, who spent just over two years as U's boss.

“You were there on a Saturday, you play the game, you watch the match on Sunday morning, analyse it, you go over it Monday morning and it could be then that on the Monday in training, you’re working on Tuesday’s game and then you’ll have a video after lunch on a Monday before the lads go home to do the prep for the Tuesday game.

“Then on Thursday you’re going over the Tuesday game and on Friday, you’re preparing for the Saturday game, so it can be a bit hectic, especially when it’s Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday but that’s the game."

Williams is now working part-time with the under-16s at his former club Ipswich Town.

He coaches Town's youngsters twice a week, before presiding over their games on Saturdays.

Williams added: “It’s great and we’ve had a couple of really good years actually.

“The group that are joining this year have got some real talent, so hopefully they’ll go on as well.

“You want those young men to be the best they can be and I do try and get that attitude into them as well.

“We’ll have a laugh and a joke at the right time but when we’re into work, we’re in to get better.

“I do that because I enjoy it; not because I need to do it.

“I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of years working with the under-16s at Ipswich, who’s very good as well.

“We’ve had a good time and I’m waiting now for these lads to be given a chance and poke their way into the manager’s thoughts, at Ipswich.”