Williamson thrilled by return

The 28-year-old kept Steven Taylor out of the side last season until breaking his arm in May, and in only his second appearance this term in a Carling Cup clash with Scunthorpe he suffered an ankle injury that would eventually rule him out for four months. With Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini in great form as Newcastle went 11 games unbeaten, Williamson's absence did not seem a major problem, but that changed earlier this month when the pair both suffered injuries in a defeat against Chelsea. Taylor was ruled out for the season by an Achilles problem and Newcastle were forced to play the likes of James Perch and Danny Simpson out of position. Having conceded only eight goals in their first 11 matches, the Magpies shipped 10 in four games prior to the Boxing Day success at the Reebok Stadium. Williamson said: "It's been a while. It's been very frustrating but very nice to come back, and with a clean sheet and a win, so it couldn't be better. "At the time (I suffered the injury) I was trying to run it off and I didn't know what I'd done because it was a strange twist with my knee and my ankle. But the next day I realised the length of time it was going to be. "It's one of those things in football, an occupational hazard. "It's been a long time to reflect but I've done a lot of good rehab, the medical team have worked me hard and I feel good. "The last week of my rehab was accelerated somewhat. My thoughts go out to Steven, who's done very well. I'm sure he'll come back fitter and stronger." The signing of former Wycombe and Torquay player Williamson from Portsmouth in January 2010 was typical of Newcastle's more low-key approach to recruitment in recent years. The defender had never played in the Premier League prior to the Magpies' promotion that season but he found his feet quickly and is looking forward to another run of games. He said: "I've had a good period in the team and it's just unfortunate I've had a couple of injuries. It would be nice now to stay injury free and concentrate on putting in some good performances." Yesterday's win ended a run of only two points from six games for Newcastle but Williamson insisted there was never any sense of heads dropping at St James' Park "From the first game of the season the lads have kept the same momentum going on the training ground every day," he said. "You can see the spirit's high and everyone's positive. "The media and the fans might say one thing but the lads know they've got enough talent and togetherness to grind a result out against any team. "The results haven't gone for us in the last few games but there's been no need to panic. It was just a matter of time before things clicked back into place." And returning to winning ways could not have come at a better time, with a trip to Liverpool to come on Friday before a home match against Manchester United next Wednesday. Williamson added: "Those are games you always look for on the calendar when the fixtures come out. They're experiences to relish and we'll take confidence from this result."