Williams' debut brace keeps Pool in the hunt

On that March day in 1999, Pool boss Chris Turner had to watch on as the striker ripped through his defence with relative ease.

But on Saturday Williams, making his first start since a £30,000 move from the Gulls earlier this month, showed all his credentials again with a starring role for his new club.

The 26-year-old scored both goals in Pool's 2-1 win at Oxford United and the signs are there that the brace will be the first of many more to come.

It took Williams just 23 minutes to score his goals and the only disappointment for him was that he failed to grab his hat-trick again.

"It would have been nice," he said. "But to be fair it was just nice to get the 90 minutes of Third Division football under my belt.

"It was frustrating while I was at Torquay warming the bench and since I've came here I've had to bide my time playing in the reserves - but I'm glad I've taken my chance."

Williams had scored three times in as many games for the second-string since his move earlier this month. And it took him just 12 minutes to break his duck in a Pool first-team shirt - and what a way to do it.

After some incisive play involving Paul Stephenson, Paul Smith and Gordon Watson, Williams took a touch in the penalty area before smashing home the opener from a difficult angle with his so-called weaker foot.

"It was with my left peg and I knew I had hit it well as soon as I struck it," said the ex-Barry Town man, who scored 68 goals for the League of Wales side in two seasons. "I'm pleased with it but I'm pleased whenever and however they go in.

"But to fair I owe a great deal to Flash (Watson) because he has set up both of my goals."

For Pool's second, Watson found space in the penalty area before getting down the by-line and chipping over the 'keeper and on to the head of Williams who put it into the net from three yards.

His new boss, Chris Turner, believes his forward now has to show the same form in front of goal every week.

"Eifion has got a good goalscoring record and we see what he can do every day in training," he said. "We have seen him come on twice as a substitute and we know that when he gets the ball he will shoot on sight.

"And what's good is that he hits the target with a high percentage of those efforts. Whenever anyone shoots from the edge of the area you will always see Eifion rushing in and trying to get the loose balls.

In his short space of time at the Victoria Park club, Williams admits he has been impressed with the quality and depth of the squad assembled by Turner.

The Pool boss had indicated before Saturday's result how he believed victories in each of their last five matches should be enough to secure a Third Division play-off place.

And, after claiming the first of the five at Oxford, Williams hopes they can show the same form in their remaining games.

"I think that the quality of squad we have can be seen by how well we played without Mark Tinkler," he said, after being named in the starting line-up in place of the injured star.

"It's just a shame that a play-off place is out of our hands at the moment. But all we can do is keep playing and trying to win all of our remaining matches.

"The good thing about it is that they are all a great bunch as well. We all just have to believe that we can produce the goods every game."

Had Pool done that they would now be sitting pretty in the top seven.

The visitors started the match determined to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat at home to Macclesfield.

Watson fired an effort over the bar from distance early on and it was just a sign of things to come.

Williams then grabbed his goals to hand Pool a deserved two-goal lead, and it could have been more. Busy Darrell Clarke's delightful chip rebounded off 'keeper Ian McCaldon's crossbar, as the floodgates threatened to open.

But instead Oxford crept back into the clash and Pool right-back Paul Arnison had to be alert to head clear a teasing Chris Hackett centre.

Hackett, an 18-year-old making only his second start for Ian Atkins' side, caused problems down Paul Smith's side in the first half.

And it was from one of the pacy right-midfielder's many crosses that Paul Moody netted Oxford's goal on 33 minutes.

Turner knew the threat Hackett was posing and he switched to a four at the back for the second period - with Arnison pushing up to right-midfield and Michael Barron filling in at right-back.

And but for one early run down the right, Hackett was kept at bay by substitute Mark Robinson, who came in for Paul Stephenson.

Oxford were the better side in the second half and Moody had a couple of efforts saved well by Anthony Williams in the Pool goal.

The best effort from the former Southampton and Millwall man was a stinging 25-yard free-kick which ricocheted off the visitors' bar

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