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 lea ...

who played as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

and

centre forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...

. 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, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

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 t ...

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 Alf ...

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

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

side

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

; 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 association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...

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

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...

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. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...

, Harrogate Town,

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...

and

Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Latimer Park. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in 1976, and have ...

Club career

Jones was born in

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

. He moved to

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

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

's U18s 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; 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 English football pyramid respectively. ...

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; his team were awarded a

penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...

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 ...

; 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 Wick ...

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 of the Game (association football), laws by the opposing team. Direct and indirect free kicks Free kicks may be either dire ...

, 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, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 o ...

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, sometimes abbreviated as BPA AFC, is an association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in , at the eighth tier of the English football league ...

. 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. They won the FA Trophy in 2004. History The club was established in 1880 as a merger of t ...

, 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 th ...

, 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, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

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

against

Long Eaton Long Eaton is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Erewash district of Derbyshire, England, just north of the River Trent, about south-west of Nottingham and south-east of Derby. The town population was 37,760 at the 2011 census. It has been part ...

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

, beating

Belper Town Belper Town Football Club is a football club based in Belper, Derbyshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Christchurch Meadow. The club are nicknamed the "Nailers" due to the town's nail-making industry. History The club ...

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 association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player. A defender who could play at centre-back and right-back, he was a Marking (association football), marker an ...

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 in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. 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 in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

; 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 southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

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

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

; 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 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, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

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

Shrewsbury Town

In January 2018 he joined League One 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 town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

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

National League North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...

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 qualifi ...

. He made his debut on 30 September 2008 in a 0–0 friendly against Montenegro U19s at the Gradski Stadium in

Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. 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 the Euro Under-19, is an annual football competition, contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain is the most successful team in this competit ...

, during a 3–2 defeat by Romania U19s 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 Championship, including the final Final, Finals or The Fi ...

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Jones was on the subs bench for the following matches a few days later against Turkey U19s and Andorra U19s; 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 footballer who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing Passing (association football), passing moves which lead to Goal (sport), goals, through ...

, also in a

role.

Personal life

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

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and previously worked part-time for a

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

Career statistics

Honours

Alfreton Town *

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

References

External links

* 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 21st-century English sportsmen