FORMER Roar prodigy David Williams has been fierce in his defence of Wellington Phoenix and the club’s right to be in the A-League.

The ex-Socceroos forward, who made two appearances for the then Queensland Roar as a 17-year-old in 2006, returns to Suncorp Stadium on Sunday to play just his second A-League game for the Phoenix since joining the club in the off-season from Hungarian outfit Haladás.

The worth of the Phoenix being in the A-League has been questioned in Australia, particularly with competition expansion expected in the next two years.

Football Federation Australia has set the Phoenix strict metrics for the club to remain in the A-League, while it’s no secret the Asian Football Confederation is against a club from New Zealand, an Oceania nation, being in an Australia’s national football competition.

But Brisbane-born Williams was adamant the Phoenix were worthy of A-League status.

“That’s just people from Australia trying to give their 10 cents worth,” Williams said of criticism aimed at his new club.

“Most of them don’t have a clue about what they’re talking about - there is a place for A-League football in Wellington and New Zealand.

“The crowds have dropped here and there but why aren’t some other clubs coming under a bit of scrutiny with the crowds where the population’s bigger in some of the bigger cities, and even some of the smaller cities, where they’ve struggled to pull in crowds.?

“People should just worry about their own clubs and who they support, rather than what’s happening in Wellington.

“We got just over 9000 last Sunday when we beat the Jets (2-1). The crowd was absolutely amazing. They helped us over the line.

“If we can get a positive result against Brisbane I’m sure there’ll be 11,000 or12,000 the next time we’re at home.

“We’ve got a good team and if we have a positive year, why should the Phoenix be kicked out of the A- League?”

Williams, now 30, not only returns to Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, but will also cross paths with his former Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi, the Roar’s current mentor.

“I always enjoyed playing under JA. He’s very attacking minded and I enjoyed his tactics and his training,” Williams said.

“He’s done quite well at Brisbane. I still admire him as a person and former player, and we definitely have good respect for each other.

“But I’m going out there to beat the Roar. It doesn’t bother me what they think and they do. We’ve got the way we want to play.

“We’ll just stick to our tactics, and while we’re doing that we’ll fight for every ball, we’ll chase things down … we’re not worried about the other team. We have no pressure.”