ST JAMES, Jamaica — Montego Bay United’s talismanic striker Dino Williams is to undergo surgery for a groin injury that has affected him over the past two seasons, and which resulted in him not being offered a contract to play in the United States’ North American Soccer League (NASL), the country’s second-tier competition.

The striker told the Jamaica Observer last week he had gone for preliminary examinations from Jamaica Football Federation’s physician Dr Derrick McDowell and is awaiting a date to undergo the procedure that he hopes will see him return to 100 per cent fitness.

Williams, who has played a handful of games for the Reggae Boyz, and who was part of the squad at the Copa America in Chile last year, failed to get a contract with Indy XI of the NASL in March after he failed a fitness test. He returned home after just two days.

He admitted to the Observer he had been playing with the injury for more than two seasons, but was hopeful that after the rehabilitation process, he could return to the NASL team by July this year.

The disappointment in not signing for Indy XI turned out to be Montego Bay United’s joy as he came off the bench to score the winner in the Red Stripe Premier League final against Portmore United two weeks ago.

Williams, who had scored three times in the final two years ago in their 5-2 hammering of Waterhouse FC, said he had a feeling he would again score the winner.

“All week [leading up to the final] I kept saying I would score the winning goal in the final even if I got only five minutes, and fortunately it went just as I had planned,” he said.

Despite missing more than a third of the competition and both legs of the semi-finals, Williams ended the season as the second highest scorer with 16 goals, behind his teammate Owayne Gordon, who had 20.

“I had a target of 30 or more goals this season, but I was out almost three months and still got 16 goals. So I am a bit disappointed at myself, but [it is] fortunate that we won the title.”

Williams, who also scored twice in a 3-3 draw against MLS team DC United in a ScotiaBank CONCACAF return- round game in Montego Bay earlier in the season, says he is in constant touch with Tim Hankinson, who was in charge of MBU for the first round, and who now coaches Indy XI.

“We keep in touch, I talk to him regularly and he just wants me to get back healthy, ready to play again,” Williams said.