Samuel Isaac Jones (born 18 September 1991) is a former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

and

centre forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. A Welsh former U19 International, Jones started his career with

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

as a youngster, before taking a break from the game to travel Australia. After returning to England, he played for

Retford United Retford United Football Club (also known as the Badgers) are an English football club based at Cannon Park in Retford, Nottinghamshire. They currently play in the . History The club was founded in 1987 by Retfordian Brian Jackson to give the ...

and Heanor Town, ending the latter as their top goalscorer in the 2014–15 season. He then spent the next season at

Alfreton Town Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street. History The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfr ...

where he was also top goalscorer. This earned him his first full-time move to

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

side

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

; having scored 9 goals in 18 starts by January 2017, this alerted him to the management team at

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...

, in turn earning him a move into professional football. He then moved to

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

side

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

in the following January transfer window. He later had spells with

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...

Harrogate Town Harrogate Town A.F.C. is a professional association football club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the Sulphurites, due to the ...

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

and

Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...

Club career

Jones was born in

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

. He moved to

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

when he was 10 years old. Aged 15, he began his career with

U18's and gained a two-year scholarship, during which time he represented Wales at under-19 level. After his release from Leeds, he played for Armthorpe Welfare between two seasons through 2010 and 2011, however, he suffered a back injury and then broke his ankle playing for Armthorpe. Having taken a break from football, he chose to travel, working on a farm and in a cheese factory while in Australia and playing football there.

Retford United

On his return to England, Jones spent the latter end of the 2013/14 season at

, making his debut on 1 March 2014, losing 4–0 at home to Heanor Town. On 8 April 2014, he scored from a free-kick in the 2–1 home defeat to Glasshoughton Welfare. On 12 April 2014, Jones scored in the opening minute in the 4–0 home win against Winterton Rangers. Jones finished the season with the second goal in the 2–1 home victory over

Garforth Town Garforth Town Association Football Club is a association football, football club based in Garforth, West Yorkshire, England. They are members of the and play at Wheatley Park. History The club was established in 1964 as Miners Arms, a Sunday ...

; a corner was taken on 36 minutes from which Jones scored with a header. Jones scored 1 goal and made 2 appearances in the Northern Counties East League Cup Jones helped the club reach ninth position in the league table. He scored 3 goals and made 9 league appearances for the team.

Heanor Town

Jones had his first full season as a player with

Northern Counties East League The Northern Counties East Football League is a semi-professional English football league. It has two divisions – Premier Division and Division One – which stand at the ninth and tenth levels of the football pyramid respectively. History Th ...

Premier Division side Heanor Town for the 2014/2015 season. He made his debut in the opening game of the season in the 3–0 away win at Albion Sports. Three days later, his first goal came in the 2–0 home win over

Pickering Town Pickering Town Football Club is an English football club based in Pickering, North Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1888 and are currently members of the . History Pickering Town Football Club were first established in 1888, for many yea ...

; his team were awarded a

penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...

for infringement, Jones took responsibility for the penalty and equalised. He scored the match winning goal on 30 September 2014 in the 2–1 home win over Handsworth Parramore; after being awarded a penalty for a bad foul, Jones scored on 87 minutes. On 28 October 2014, he scored the opening goal in the 1–1 draw against Parkgate; a foul near the byline by their goalkeeper lead to a penalty being given from which Jones scored. On 11 November 2014, he scored in the 2–2 stalemate against Borrowash Victoria in the

Derbyshire Senior Cup The Derbyshire County FA Senior Cup is a local county football cup for teams based in the county of Derbyshire. Founded in 1883-1884, the first competition was won by Staveley, who beat Derby Midland 2-1 in the final. 1885-1886 saw Heeley from Y ...

; the initial equaliser on 54 minutes from the penalty spot. Jones scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

on 14 March 2015, in the 6–0 away win at Retford; scoring the opening goal on 16 minutes, collecting the ball 25 yards out, he beat his marker and fired into the top corner, this was his tenth goal of the season; Jones scored the 5th goal of the game on 74 minutes, having been awarded a

direct free kick A free kick is a method of restarting play in association football. It is awarded after an infringement of the laws by the opposing team. Direct and indirect free kicks Free kicks may be either direct or indirect, distinguished as follows: ...

, he scored from 25 yards out; he then scored the 6th and final goal of the game in the 86th minute from a deflected strike. Jones scored another hat-trick on 18 April 2015, in the 8–0 away victory at Glasshoughton Welfare; a 58th-minute strike from the left side of the box to the far post; on 80 minutes he shot low past the keeper to the centre; his third came from the penalty spot on 88 minutes. Jones made 5 appearances in the

2014–15 FA Vase The 2014–15 FA Vase is the 41st season of the FA Vase, an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System. The competition is to be played with two qualifying rounds preceding the six proper rou ...

competition. He was their top scorer with 17 goals in all competitions, including 6 penalties. Following the 2014–15 campaign, he was named the fans' player of the year.

Alfreton Town

Jones joined

Conference North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...

side

in June 2015 on a one-year deal. He made his debut for Alfreton on 8 August 2015, the opening day of the season in the 2–2 away draw at

Bradford Park Avenue Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club is an association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in , at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The name derived from their former hom ...

. Jones was sent off on 12 March 2016, in the 3–3 away draw at

Hednesford Town Hednesford Town Football Club is a football club based in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Keys Park. History The club was established in 1880 as a merger of the Red & Whites and Hill Top.

, as a result of this, Jones was given a three match suspension. Jones made 3 appearances in the

2015–16 FA Cup The 2015–16 FA Cup (also known as the FA Challenge Cup) was the 135th edition of the oldest recognised football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates, and known as The Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship purposes. It began with the ...

, and scored in the 3–2 away defeat at

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

. Jones scored a hat-trick in the semi-final of the

against

Long Eaton Long Eaton is a town in the Erewash district of Derbyshire, England, just north of the River Trent, about south-west of Nottingham and some 8½ miles (13.7 km) south-east of Derby. The town population was 37,760 at the 2011 census. It has ...

. Jones was in the team that went on to win the

, beating Belper Town in the final on penalties.

Gateshead

Jones moved to

side

at the start of the 2016–2017 season with manager

Neil Aspin Neil Aspin (born 12 April 1965) is an English football manager and former player. A solid defender who could play at centre-back and right-back, he was a good marker and an adept tackler. He made his debut in the English Football League for L ...

on a two-year deal 2-year deal. He made his debut with Gateshead on the opening day of the season, from the substitute bench in the 3–0 home victory against

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. On 16 August 2016, he scored his first goal for the club in the 6–1 home win over

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

; after coming off the subs bench only 3 minutes prior with his team 5–1 up, Jones scored with six minutes to go. On 20 August 2016, he made his full debut in the 3–2 defeat at

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

. Jones scored his final goal for the club in the 2–0 away victory at

Solihull Moors Solihull Moors Football Club is a professional football club based in Solihull, England. The club currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system, after achieving promotion from the National Leag ...

; Jones scoring the second on 90 minutes with a by back-heel directly through their goalkeepers legs.

Grimsby Town

Grimsby had three bids rejected by Gateshead, due to falling below their valuation. However, on 31 January 2017, Jones signed a -year deal with newly promoted

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

for an undisclosed fee. He made his first appearance for the club on 4 February 2017 in the 1–1 home draw against

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

, coming off the subs bench to replace Chris Clements in the 83rd minute.

Shrewsbury Town

In January 2018 he joined

side

on a -year deal for an undisclosed fee. He made five first-team appearances in the remainder of the 2017–18 season, scoring once in a 1–1 draw away at

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, however did not make another appearance for the club, spending time on loan at

the following season, before being released by mutual consent in June 2019.

Harrogate Town

Jones joined

side

for the 2019–20 season. In February 2020, he joined

National League North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...

side

on loan until the end of the season. His loan spell at York was cut short because of the covid-19 pandemic bringing an early end to the 2019-20 season and in May 2020 it was revealed that an agreement had been reached to terminate his contract at Harrogate Town.

Kettering Town

On 17 September 2020, Jones signed for

club

International career

Despite being born in England, Jones has represented the

Wales national under-19 football team The Wales national under-19 football team is the national under-19 football team of Wales and is run by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship held every year. In 2019 the side qualifie ...

. He made his debut on 30 September 2008 in a 0–0 friendly against Montenegro U19's at the

Gradski Stadium Gradski stadion ( bg, Градски стадион, ) is a multi-purpose stadium in Ruse, Bulgaria. It is used for football matches and concerts. It hosts the home games of Dunav Ruse and Lokomotiv Ruse. The stadium holds a capacity of 13,000 s ...

Nikšić Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. On 10 November 2008, Jones played in the qualifying round of the

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply UEFA Under-19 Championship or the UEFA Euro U-19, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the member associations of UEFA. Spain and England ...

, during a 3–2 defeat by Romania U19's at the

Mardan Sports Complex Mardan Sports Complex is a multi-purpose stadium in Aksu, Antalya, Turkey. It is currently used mostly for football matches, and it hosted matches during the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship The final tournament of the 2008 ...

Antalya Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. Jones was on the subs bench for the following matches a few days later against Turkey U19's and Andorra U19's; Wales finishing the group in third place.

Style of play

Jones is tall, powerful and physically strong, good passing ability on the ball, he can run and go past players and able to make late runs off the ball into the box, he's been known to score with both feet and his head. Jones is noted as an

; throughout his career he has played in various positions in a utility role, playing centre-mid, right-wing-back, in the 10 as a

playmaker In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...

, also in a

role.

Personal life

Jones is married to his wife of 2 years, he is a reformed

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and previously worked part-time for a

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Career statistics

Honours

Alfreton Town *

: 2015–16 Individual *Supporters Player of the Year: 2014–15

References

External links

Sam Jones
at the official Grimsby Town F.C. website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Sam 1991 births Living people English expatriates in Australia Footballers from Barnsley English men's footballers Wales men's youth international footballers Wales men's under-21 international footballers National League (English football) players English Football League players Men's association football midfielders Leeds United F.C. players Armthorpe Welfare F.C. players Retford United F.C. players Heanor Town F.C. players Alfreton Town F.C. players Gateshead F.C. players Grimsby Town F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Cheltenham Town F.C. players Harrogate Town A.F.C. players