| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Graham Jones | ||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Derry, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Right winger / Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | AFC Telford | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995–1996 | Blackpool | 0 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Bury | 0 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Sligo Rovers | 46 | (6) |
| 1999 | → Bray Wanderers (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1999 | Chorley | ? | (?) |
| 1999–2001 | Leigh RMI | 82 | (37) |
| 2001–2006 | Crewe Alexandra | 158 | (39) |
| 2002 | → Rochdale (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2006–2009 | Burnley | 58 | (6) |
| 2008 | → Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2008 | → Huddersfield Town (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | → Bradford City (loan) | 26 | (3) |
| 2009–2011 | Walsall | 43 | (9) |
| 2011 | → Motherwell (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2011 | Droylsden | 1 | (1) |
| 2011 – | AFC Telford | 5 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003 | Northern Ireland B | 1 | (1) |
| 2003–2007 | Northern Ireland | 29 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:50, 7 December 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Stephen Graham "Steve" Jones (born 25 October 1976) is a footballer from Northern Ireland who currently plays for Conference National side AFC Telford United. He has been capped 29 times by Northern Ireland and played for 15 clubs in England, Republic of Ireland and Scotland.
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Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, Jones, a Motherwell fan,[1] was working at Plumb centre in Oldham when he played for Chadderton. He had been a very promising footballer but at 16 he was still growing and is one of a number of players overlooked at that time by Bury. He was spotted in a tournament by a well connected ex-footballer who passed his feelings over to Blackpool via the scouting network. Jones was thus taken on to the books of Blackpool, and later played for League of Ireland sides Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers. He scored on his Sligo debut on 31 August 1997.
Jones moved to England to play for Chorley before joining Leigh RMI, where he scored 43 goals in just over 100 games. Jones "proved to be something of a sensation for them in the Conference."[2]
Having been watched several times by Crewe assistant manager Neil Baker, Jones was finally persuaded to sign for Crewe in time for the 2001–02 campaign. Crewe Alexandra signed Jones from Leigh RMI for £75,000 in 2001 plus 2 further payments of £25,000 each after a certain number of appearances.
Although Jones made his debut in August 2001 against Manchester City, he only made six appearances in his first season at Crewe. He spent the latter part of the year on loan with Rochdale gaining more first team experience.
Following Crewe's relegation to the Second Division though, Jones' career sprang into life. He scored his first two goals for the club against Queens Park Rangers in October 2002. He went on to finish with 11 goals that season as Crewe won promotion. The following season in the First Division, he scored 16 goals and won the Crewe supporters' 'Player of the Year' award. In the 2004–05 season he scored 13 goals.
A pacy forward, Jones can also play on either wing and his versatility was a useful asset to manager Dario Gradi's squad. At the end of the 2005–06 season, Jones confirmed he would be leaving Crewe once his contract had expired in July 2006. He told the club's official website: "I've had five great years here and I cannot thank the club, the fans and the staff for all they have done for me. Crewe will always hold a special place in my heart because they gave me a chance to play in the Football League again and go on to play for Northern Ireland."
He finished the season with having the most assists in the team, with twelve in total, and four goals, which he admitted to be a disappointing record by his own standards.
On 3 May 2006, he joined The Clarets on a free transfer, agreeing a three-year deal at Turf Moor due to expire at the end of the 2008–09 season.
Jones scored twice in the first game of the 2006–07 season on his competitive debut for Burnley and immediately became a first-team regular, albeit playing in a slightly unfamiliar position on the left side of attack. He became less assured of a starting place as the season progressed and he began the 2007–08 season as a substitute or squad player.
After failing to impress in recent weeks, Jones returned to former club Crewe Alexandra on 27 March 2008, on loan for the remainder of The Railwaymen's League One season. The forward was linked to a move back to Gresty Road in the January Transfer Window, but the move fell through due to Jones' knee injury.
On 17 October 2008, after playing no games under Owen Coyle, Jones moved on a month's loan to Huddersfield Town, mainly as cover for the injured Andy Booth. He made his debut the following day in the 1–1 draw against Bristol Rovers at the Galpharm Stadium. He made one further start and two substitute appearances before returning to Turf Moor on 26 November.
The following day he signed for League Two-side Bradford City until the start of 2009, following an injury to fellow winger Omar Daley.[3] He made his debut in a 2–1 FA Cup defeat to Leyton Orient at Valley Parade two days after signing.[1] His league debut for City came the following weekend when he missed two chances to give his new side a victory in a 1–1 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge.[4] After making six league starts during his month's loan, the deal was extended for a second month during the January transfer window.[5] He scored his first goal for Bradford in his tenth game to give the club a 2–0 victory over Grimsby Town in the final minute of the match.[6] Two days later, with just one game left of his second month, Jones extended his loan until the end of the season.[7]
On 1 June 2009 it was announced that Jones had been released by Burnley at the end of his contract alongside Gabor Kiraly and Alan Mahon.[8] On 10 July 2009 he signed for Walsall on a two-year deal.[9] Jones made his debut on 8 August in the opening day 1–0 league win against Brighton & Hove Albion, he started the game before being substituted in the 65th minute for Richard Taundry.[10] He scored his first goal for The Saddlers a week later on his home debut, he headed in a Darryl Westlake free-kick in the 11th minute on the way to a 2–2 draw against Southend United.[11] On 11 May 2011, Walsall announced on their website that Jones would not be offered a new contract.[12]
On 20 January 2011, Jones joined Scottish Premier League team Motherwell on loan.[13] He then made his debut in the 2–0 win over Hibernian on 22 January.[14] He scored his first goal for The Steelmen on 5 February in a 2–0 Scottish Cup fifth-round win over Stranraer.[15] Jones made his final appearance for Motherwell in the Scottish Cup Final on 21 May 2011, he replaced Jamie Murphy in the 80th minute of the 3–0 defeat against Celtic.[16]
On 12 August 2011, Droylsden manager Dave Pace announced on Tameside Radio that Jones had signed for the Blue Square North side after being released by Walsall. Jones scored on his debut, netting the opening goal in the 2–2 draw against Eastwood Town on 13 August.[17]
After a short spell with Droylsden, Jones signed for Conference National side AFC Telford United on 18 November 2011.[18] He made his debut on 19 November in the 0-0 draw against Mansfield Town, he came on for Craig Farrell after 61 minutes and almost scored with his first touch, but his effort was well saved by Mansfield goalkeeper Alan Marriott.[19] The following week on 26 November he came off the bench against Barrow, replacing Sean Newton after 68 minutes, and scored his first goal for the club. Jones headed in a Richard Davies cross on 76 minutes to put The Bucks 1-0 up and give them their first league win in 9 outings.[20] On 29 November he made his first start for the club in the 1-1 draw against Luton Town.[21]
Jones has won a total of 29 caps for Northern Ireland. He was first called up for the friendly match against Finland in February 2003, he replaced the injured Kevin Horlock in the squad before being an unused substitute in the 1–0 defeat on 14 February.[22][23] In May 2003 he got his first taste of international football when he was called up for the B international match against Scotland Future.[24] He started the game against Scotland and managed to get on the scoresheet in the 2–1 defeat on 20 May.[25]
After impressing in the B international match against Scotland, Jones was called-up to the senior squad on 23 May for the friendly against Italy and the Euro 2004 qualifying match against Spain.[26] He made his debut in the 2–0 defeat against Italy on 3 June, he replaced Paul McVeigh on the 55th minute and almost scored in the 76th minute but his firm header was well saved by Francesco Toldo.[27] On 11 June Jones made his first start against Spain at Windsor Park, he played 73 minutes on the way to helping Northern Ireland to a 0–0 draw.[28]
Jones was a regular in the squad over the next three years, often being used as a substitute.[29] He scored his first goal for his country in a 2–0 friendly win against St. Kitts & Nevis on 2 June 2004.[30] He played in most of Northern Ireland's unsuccessful 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign and the early stages of their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign before falling out of favour within the selection process. His last cap was a substitute appearance in the 2–1 away defeat against Iceland during Euro 2008 qualifying.[29]
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 June 2004 | Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly game |