Cliff Jones (footballer)

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This page refers to the Welsh footballer. For other persons named Cliff Jones, see Cliff Jones (disambiguation).

Clifford William Jones (b. February 7, 1935) was a Welsh football international, who was capped 58 times for Wales and was a crucial member of Tottenham Hotspur's 1960-61 Double-winning side and at the time was widely considered as the best left winger in the world.

Jones was born in Swansea and first played League football for Billy McCandless' Swansea Town (later Swansea City) in 1952, appearing only 25 times as a winger for the club before being called into the Welsh national side. Jones was part of the Wales side that beat England 2-1 at Ninian Park on October 22, 1955 and always credited the winner he scored as his best ever goal. [1]

He travelled to Sweden with the side for the 1958 FIFA World Cup where Wales did so well, losing, agonisingly to Brazil via a goal that Stuart Williams deflected beyond Jack Kelsey. He played 59 times for Wales, scoring 16 goals. [2]

He was bought by Bill Nicholson for Tottenham Hotspur in 1958 and quickly became an indispensable part of the development of that team, figuring in the double-winning side as an attacking midfielder (scoring 15 goals in 29 games) and going on to feature in the 1962 FA Cup winning side as well as the famous 1963 Cup Winners' Cup Final against Atlético Madrid in Rotterdam in which Spurs won 5-1. Jones always maintained a healthy connection with his place of birth returning to train local children when he was with Tottenham [3]

Jones finally moved on from White Hart Lane in 1968 in order to take up a position with Fulham for two seasons and, afterwards, played for Kings Lynn and Wealdstone. [4]

He currently works alongside Jimmy Greaves on the after-dinner speech circuit and at White Hart Lane as a match host for club guests in the legends lounge.

Jones came from a great footballing family. His uncle Bryn Jones played for Arsenal in the 1930s; his father Ivor Jones played for Wales during the same decade.

[edit] Honours

Tottenham Hotspur

English First Division Winner 1961

F.A. Cup Winner - 1961, 1967

European Cup Winners Cup Winner - 1963

[edit] Sources

Jones, Cliff, Forward with Spurs (London: Stanley Paul, 1962).

v • d • e Wales squad - 1958 FIFA World Cup

1 Kelsey • 2 Williams • 3 Hopkins • 4 Sullivan • 5 M. Charles • 6 Bowen • 7 Medwin • 8 Hewitt • 9 J. Charles • 10 I. Allchurch • 11 C. Jones • 12 K. Jones • 13 Vearnecombe • 14 Edwards • 15 C. Baker • 16 Crowe • 17 Leek • 18 Vernon • 19 Webster • 20 Elsworthy • 21 L. Allchurch • 22 T. Baker • Coach: Murphy