Daniel Jones (footballer)

This article is about the English footballer born in 1986. For the footballer born in 1994, see Dan Jones (footballer, born 1994).

Daniel Jones

Jones playing for Chesterfield in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Daniel Jeffrey Jones [1]
Date of birth	(1986-12-23) 23 December 1986 (age 37)
Place of birth	Rowley Regis, England [2]
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) [3]
Position(s)	Left-back; left-wing
Youth career
1997–2005	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2010	Wolverhampton Wanderers	10	(0)
2007–2008	→ Northampton Town (loan)	33	(3)
2008	→ Oldham Athletic (loan)	12	(1)
2009	→ Oldham Athletic (loan)	11	(0)
2009	→ Notts County (loan)	7	(1)
2010	→ Bristol Rovers (loan)	17	(0)
2010–2013	Sheffield Wednesday	37	(0)
2013–2014	Port Vale	36	(1)
2014–2017	Chesterfield	66	(1)
2017–2019	Notts County	40	(5)
2019–2020	Cambridge United	14	(0)
2020	→ Solihull Moors (loan)	0	(0)
2020–2021	Hereford	9	(0)
2021	Bray Wanderers	11	(0)
2022	Longford Town	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:11, 6 March 2022 (UTC)

Daniel Jeffrey Jones (born 23 December 1986) is an English former footballer. He played as a left-back or on the left side of midfield.

He began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers, turning professional in January 2005 after a long association as a youth team prospect. He was loaned out to Northampton Town, Oldham Athletic, Notts County and Bristol Rovers, but never won a regular first-team place at Wolves. He made a permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday in June 2010 and was a squad member as the "Owls" were promoted out of League One in 2011–12. He joined Port Vale in January 2013 and helped the club to secure promotion out of League Two in 2012–13. He left the club in April 2014 after a training ground bust-up and signed with Chesterfield the following month. After three years with Chesterfield, he joined Notts County in July 2017. He left County after the club were relegated out of the Football League and went on to sign for Cambridge United in July 2019. He was loaned out to Solihull Moors in March 2020 and signed with Hereford four months later. He moved to the League of Ireland First Division after signing for Bray Wanderers in July 2021, before moving to Longford Town in December 2021.

Career

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Born in Rowley Regis, West Midlands, Jones joined the Wolverhampton Wanderers academy at the age of ten and moved up through the ranks to sign his first professional contract at Molineux under Glenn Hoddle in January 2005. ^[4] He made his first-team debut on 1 April 2006, in a 2–0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle at Home Park; he was replaced by Rob Edwards on 62 minutes. ^[5] He played eight Championship games in the 2006–07 season, though only played one of these games from December onwards.

In August 2007, he joined League One club Northampton Town on loan, with manager Stuart Gray already aware of Jones from his time as a coach at Wolves. ^[6] He scored his first goal in the English Football League on 15 December, in a 2–2 draw with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. ^[7] He claimed another goal six days later, in a 4–1 win over AFC Bournemouth. ^[8] He had his loan deal extended until 25 January. ^[9] Wolves boss Mick McCarthy agreed to the loan extension despite being keen to see the youngster's progress for himself. ^[10] He scored his third career goal on 19 January, converting a 25 yards (23 m) direct free kick in a 1–0 win over Gillingham at the Priestfield Stadium. ^[11] He returned to his parent club after this spell but after managing just one substitute appearance for Wolves, he was allowed to return on loan to Sixfields in March 2008 until the end of the 2007–08 season. ^[12] He made a total of 39 league and cup appearances for the "Cobblers".

Jones joined League One side Oldham Athletic on a one-month loan in October 2008 after signing a new two-year contract with Wolves. ^[13] He scored on his debut to help John Sheridan's "Latics" to a 4–0 victory over Hereford United at Boundary Park. ^[14] His loan was subsequently extended to run until 3 January, ^[15] but he returned to Wolves with a knee injury a week early. ^[16] Once recovered, he again returned to Oldham on loan in February. ^[17] Including both spells in the 2008–09 season, Jones played 25 games for Oldham.

Jones joined League Two club Notts County on loan in September 2009 with a view to a permanent move when the transfer window reopened in January. ^[18] In December, confirmation came that the deal would be made permanent, ^[19] however, he left Meadow Lane and returned to Wolves the following month, having played just eight games for Steve Cotterill's "Magpies". In February 2010, he signed for Bristol Rovers on an initial one-month loan, as "Pirates" manager Paul Trollope needed cover for the left-back spot. ^[20] The loan deal was subsequently extended until the end of the 2009–10 season. ^[21] After it was announced that he would not be offered a new deal at Wolves, ^[22] Jones said that he was considering a return to the Memorial Stadium though wanted to keep his options open. ^[23] Trollope was quoted as being "very much hopeful" of signing Jones after "detailed discussions" were held. ^[24]

Sheffield Wednesday

Jones signed a three-year deal with League One side Sheffield Wednesday in June 2010. ^[25] He played 34 games in the 2010–11 campaign, as a poor season meant that manager Alan Irvine was replaced by Gary Megson at the half-way stage. Jones struggled with an ankle injury at the start of the 2011–12 season, and was then sidelined with a calf injury in February. ^[26] Promotion out of League One was secure largely in his absence. A first-team place at Hillsborough proved to be out of reach as Wednesday struggled to survive in the Championship in the 2012–13 season under the stewardship of new boss Dave Jones. Searching for first-team football elsewhere, he left Wednesday by mutual consent on 17 January 2013. ^{[27] [28]}

Port Vale

Jones warming up for Port Vale before the match against Northampton Town on 20 April 2013.

Only hours after his release by Sheffield Wednesday was announced, Jones agreed to join League Two leaders Port Vale on a short-term deal until the end of the 2012–13 season. ^[29] He scored on his debut with "a stunning long-range effort" in a 2–2 draw with AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow on 24 January. ^[30] Vale were promoted at the end of the season, with Jones making 16 appearances. He signed a new two-year contract in the summer, citing manager Micky Adams' attacking philosophy to extend his stay at the club. ^[31]

He started the 2013–14 season in the first XI, but had to fight for his place after missing with a groin strain. ^[32] He picked up the club's first red card of the season on 19 October, when he was dismissed for two bookable offences 20 minutes into a 2–1 defeat to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. ^[33] Two months later he was sidelined for several weeks after picking up a foot injury. ^[34] He returned to the first-team on the left side of midfield in February. ^[35] On 14 April 2014, Jones was sacked by Port Vale following a training ground bust-up that left club captain Doug Loft with a facial injury. ^[36]

Chesterfield

On 15 May 2014, Jones signed a two-contract year with newly promoted League One side Chesterfield as manager Paul Cook's first signing of the 2014–15 season. ^[37] On 4 October he was fouled by Sheffield United's Michael Higdon, who was sent off for the challenge. However, Jones was ridiculed for his "fish out of water" reaction. ^[38] Jones himself was sent off on 29 November, after getting involved with a fight during a 1–1 draw at Crawley Town. ^[39] He helped the "Spireites" to the play-offs, where they were beaten by Preston North End at the semi-final stage. ^[40]

Jones suffered a fractured ankle after "pushing and turning at the same time" during Chesterfield's match 4–0 defeat to Swindon Town on 28 November 2015. ^[41] A setback of the injury meant that he was kept him out of action for nine months, before he returned in Chesterfield's 3–1 victory over Swindon on 13 August 2016. ^[42] However, he was then forced to miss another six months with a re-occurrence of the same injury, before managing a return to fitness in the Chesterfield's 1–0 defeat to Oldham Athletic on 4 February 2017. ^[43] He remained in and out of the side. He was released by manager Gary Caldwell following the club's relegation to League Two at the end of the season. ^[44]

Notts County

Jones signed an undisclosed contract with League Two side Notts County in July 2017. ^[45] Manager Kevin Nolan said that "we have added another quality player to what is already a promising squad". ^[46] On 9 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 home win over Morecambe, and was described by Nolan as on "another level". ^[47] Speaking the following month, Jones said that he was enjoying the competition for the left-back spot with Carl Dickinson. ^[48] He signed a new two-year contract by Notts County at the end of the 2017–18 season, whilst Dickinson was released. ^{[49] [50]}

On 1 September 2018, he was sent off for committing a two-footed challenge on Lloyd James in a 3–1 home defeat to Forest Green Rovers; new manager Harry Kewell watched the game from the stands. ^[51] Notts County released him at the end of the 2018–19 season. ^[52]

Cambridge United

On 19 July 2019, Jones signed a one-year contract with League Two club Cambridge United after a successful trial spell. ^[53] The "U's" had been in search of a new left-back following the departure of Jake Carroll to Motherwell and manager Colin Calderwood felt that Jones had settled in at the Abbey Stadium better than the other trialist left-backs. ^[54] However, he missed three months of the start of the 2019–20 season with a broken foot. ^[55] On 9 March, Mark Bonner replaced Calderwood as manager, and just two days later a loan deal was arranged for Jones with National League club Solihull Moors. ^[56] Moors manager James Shan said that "We have had to tap into the loan market to provide cover for Alex Gudger and Mitch Hancox who both picked up knocks." ^[57] However, he was unable to feature for the Moors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, and on 29 April Cambridge announced that Jones would be one of nine players to be released by the club at the end of the season. ^[58]

Hereford

On 14 July 2020, Jones joined National League North club Hereford after being approached by player-manager Josh Gowling. ^[59] On 23 February 2021, Jones was released from his contract to allow him to move closer to his family. ^[60]

League of Ireland

In July 2021, Jones signed for Bray Wanderers of the League of Ireland First Division. ^[61] Ahead of the 2022 season, Jones moved from Bray to fellow First Division side Longford Town. ^[62]

Style of play

Speaking in January 2013, former Sheffield Wednesday teammate Anthony Gardner described Jones as a "strong, tall, very athletic" player possessing "a great left foot" and a "great engine" who is "quick" and "good both defensively and in attack". ^[63]

Personal life

Jones has been a Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter since childhood. ^[64]

Career statistics

As of match played 21 December 2021

Club	Season	Division	League		National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Wolverhampton Wanderers	2005–06 [65]	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2006–07 [66]	Championship	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
	2007–08 [67]	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2008–09 [68]	Championship	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	2009–10 [69]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		10	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	11	0
Northampton Town (loan)	2007–08 [67]	League One	33	3	3	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	39	3
Oldham Athletic (loan)	2008–09 [68]	League One	23	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	25	1
Notts County (loan)	2009–10 [69]	League Two	7	0	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	8	0
Bristol Rovers (loan)	2009–10 [69]	League One	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	0
Sheffield Wednesday	2010–11 [70]	League One	25	0	4	0	2	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	34	0
	2011–12 [71]	League One	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
	2012–13 [72]	Championship	9	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	11	0
	Total		37	0	5	0	5	0	3	0	50	0
Port Vale	2012–13 [72]	League Two	16	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	1
	2013–14 [73]	League One	20	0	0	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	22	0
	Total		36	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	38	1
Chesterfield	2014–15 [74]	League One	33	0	3	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2]	0	40	0
	2015–16 [75]	League One	19	1	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	22	1
	2016–17 [76]	League One	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
	Total		66	1	4	0	2	0	4	0	76	1
Notts County	2017–18 [77]	League Two	27	4	2	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 3]	0	33	4
	2018–19 [78]	League Two	13	1	1	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	18	1
	Total		40	5	3	0	1	0	7	0	51	5
Cambridge United	2019–20 [79]	League Two	14	0	2	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	19	0
Solihull Moors (loan)	2019–20 [80]	National League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hereford	2020–21 [80]	National League North	9	0	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	11	0
Bray Wanderers	2021 [80]	League of Ireland First Division	11	0	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 5]	0	14	0
Longford Town	2022 [80]	League of Ireland First Division	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			303	11	20	0	13	0	23	0	359	11

1. Appearance/s in the EFL Trophy.
2. Appearance/s in the play-offs.
3. Two appearances in EFL Trophy, two in League Two play-offs
4. Appearance/s in the FA Trophy.
5. Appearances in 2021 League of Ireland promotion/relegation playoffs

Honours

Sheffield Wednesday

• League One second-place promotion: 2011–12

Port Vale

• League Two third-place promotion: 2012–13 ^[81]

References

1. "Daniel Jones". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
2. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 527. ISBN   978-0-7553-6356-8.
3. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2013/14". footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
4. "Daniel Jones". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007.
5. "Plymouth 2-0 Wolves". BBC Sport . 1 April 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
6. "Cobblers sign Wolves midfielder". BBC Sport . 4 August 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
7. "Nottm Forest 2-2 Northampton". BBC Sport . 15 December 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
8. "Northampton 4-1 Bournemouth". BBC Sport . 21 December 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
9. "Jones extends Cobblers loan stay". BBC Sport . 3 January 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
10. "Wolves to recall Cobblers loanee". BBC Sport . 24 December 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
11. "Gillingham 0-1 Northampton". BBC Sport . 19 January 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
12. "Wolves man returns to Northampton". BBC Sport . 7 March 2008.
13. "Oldham sign Wolves' Jones on loan". BBC Sport . 3 October 2008.
14. "Oldham vs Hereford". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 12 October 2008. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
15. "Wolves' Jones extends Oldham stay". BBC Sport . 3 November 2008.
16. "Sheridan plotting transfer moves". Oldham Athletic AFC. 1 January 2009. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
17. "Wolves' Jones returns to Oldham". BBC Sport . 2 February 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
18. "Notts swoop for Wolves man Jones". BBC Sport . 24 September 2009.
19. Fielding, James (8 December 2009). "Wolves' Jones to stay with Notts". BBC Sport .
20. "Wolves defender Daniel Jones loaned to Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 15 February 2010.
21. "Bristol Rovers extend Wolves' Daniel Jones loan". BBC Sport . 16 March 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
22. "Wolverhampton Wanderers release trio of squad players". BBC Sport . 14 May 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
23. "Daniel Jones considering Bristol Rovers return". BBC News. 3 May 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
24. "Bristol Rovers boss Paul Trollope eyes double signing". BBC Sport . 20 May 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
25. "Sheffield Wednesday sign full-back Daniel Jones". BBC Sport . 11 June 2010.
26. "Sheffield Wednesday's Daniel Jones faces injury lay-off". BBC Sport . 2 February 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
27. "Jones departs". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 17 January 2013.
28. "Sheffield Wednesday: Daniel Jones leaves by mutual consent". BBC Sport . 17 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
29. Johnson, Dave. "Daniel Jones joins Vale until the end of the season". port-vale.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
30. Pearson, Guy (24 January 2013). "Adams praises Vale spirit". The Sentinel . Retrieved 24 January 2013.
31. "Danny Jones signs new Port Vale contract". The Sentinel . 24 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
32. "Dan Jones ready to battle to win back place". The Sentinel . 4 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
33. "Sheff Utd 2 - 1 Port Vale". BBC Sport . 19 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
34. "Tomlin could equal Vale ace Mark Bright's scoring run". The Sentinel . 11 January 2014. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
35. "Dan Jones relishing new role on the wing". The Sentinel . 17 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
36. "Daniel Jones sacked over Doug Loft 'facial injury'". BBC Sport . 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
37. "Chesterfield sign sacked Port Vale defender Daniel Jones". BBC Sport . 15 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
38. "Chesterfield's Daniel Jones produces the best piece of play-acting ever against Sheffield United". The Metro. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
39. "Crawley 1 - 1 Chesterfield". BBC Sport . 29 November 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
40. Middleton, Nathan (10 May 2015). "Preston 3 - 0 Chesterfield". BBC Sport . Retrieved 10 May 2015.
41. "Chesterfield full-back Dan Jones has suffered a bizarre ankle fracture". Sky Sports . 30 November 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
42. "Chesterfield defender Jones suffers injury setback". Derbyshire Times. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
43. "Chesterfield 0-1 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
44. Smyth, Graham (25 April 2017). "BREAKING: No new Proact deal for experienced defender". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
45. "Dan Jones: Notts County sign ex-Chesterfield defender". BBC Sport. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
46. Clapson, Sarah (3 July 2017). "Dan Jones joins a club 'built for success' as he signs for Notts". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
47. Curtis, Leigh (10 September 2017). "Dan Jones was 'another level' for Notts County, says boss Kevin Nolan". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
48. Curtis, Leigh (27 October 2017). "Jones opens up on the battle to become Notts' first-choice left-back". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
49. "Notts County: Shola Ameobi and Alan Smith leave League Two club". BBC Sport. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
50. "Daniel Jones: Notts County defender signs two-year contract". BBC Sport. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
51. "Notts County 1-3 Forest Green Rovers". BBC Sport. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
52. "Notts County: Jon Stead and David Vaughan among 12 released". BBC Sport. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
53. "Dan Jones: Cambridge United sign former Notts County left-back after trial". BBC Sport. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
54. Georgeson, Andrew (19 July 2019). "Ben Strang explains why Cambridge United opted for Dan Jones". cambridgenews. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
55. Georgeson, Andrew (25 October 2019). "Cambridge United full-back Dan Jones eyes Northampton Town return". cambridgenews. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
56. Street, Tim (11 March 2020). "Cambridge United defender departs the club". cambridgenews. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
57. Turner, Luke (11 March 2020). "Dan Jones signs on loan". solihullmoorsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
58. Baggaley, Michael (29 April 2020). "Former Port Vale full back among nine players released by League Two rivals". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
59. Goddard, Ben (14 July 2020). "Jones joins Bulls with aim to take them back into Football League". Hereford Times. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
60. "Dan Jones leaves Hereford FC". Hereford FC. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
61. "Gary Cronin welcomes Sam Verdon and Daniel Jones into the Seagulls squad". Bray Wanderers FC. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
62. "Daniel Jones signs for 2022!". ltfc.ie. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
63. Pearson, Guy (21 January 2013). "Daniel Jones tipped to be a big hit by former Port Vale player Anthony Gardner". The Sentinel . Retrieved 21 January 2013.
64. "Jones fit and raring to go as Valiants face Bray". The Sentinel . 13 July 2013.
65. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
66. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
67. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
68. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
69. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
70. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
71. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
72. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
73. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
74. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
75. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
76. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
77. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
78. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
79. "Games played by Daniel Jones in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
80. Daniel Jones at Soccerway
81. Sherwin, Phil; Johnson, Dave (2013), Port Vale This Side Up: 2012-2013 Promotion Celebration, BGL, ISBN   978-0-9926579-0-1

External links

• Daniel Jones at Soccerbase