Steve Jones (Northern Irish footballer)

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Steve Jones (Northern Irish footballer) : biography

25 October 1976 –

AFC Telford United

After a short spell with Droylsden, Jones signed for Conference National side AFC Telford United on 18 November 2011. He made his debut the following day 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. On 26 November, he came off the bench in the 1–0 win against Barrow, replacing Sean Newton after 68 minutes and scoring his first goal for the club. He headed in a Richard Davies cross on 76 minutes to give The Bucks their first league win in 9 outings. He made his first start for the club in the 1–1 draw against Luton Town three days later. Jones scored in the 2–2 draw with Stockport County on 24 January 2012. In the 0–0 draw with Alfreton Town on 3 March, Jones suffered a knee ligament injury that would keep him out of action for up to six weeks. He made his return from injury on 17 April, coming on as a 68th minute substitute in the 1–0 win against Tamworth. The win secured Telford’s place in the Conference National for the following season. On 4 May, it was announced on Telford’s website that Jones had agreed terms to a contract extension with the club.

Prior to the 2012–13 season, Jones was allocated the number 10 squad number. On 11 August, he played in the opening game of the season, playing the whole 90 minutes in the 0–0 draw with Barrow. He scored his first goal of the season in the 3–0 league win against Southport on 1 September. On 9 October, Jones scored a brace in the 4–1 league win against Dartford. He followed that up by scoring both goals in Telford’s 2–2 draw against Ebbsfleet United on 6 November. Jones was sent off on 10 November, he was dismissed for a late tackle on Greg Taylor in the 0-0 draw with Tamworth and was suspended for three games. On 15 December, Jones was sent off again in only his second game back from his suspension and was subsequently banned for a further four games. He was dismissed after being booked twice within a minute in the 3-1 FA Trophy second round defeat against King’s Lynn Town, firstly for a dive in the penalty area and then for an off-the-ball barge on Jordan Yong. Jones suffered a serious eye injury in the league match against Mansfield Town on 2 March 2013, he temporarily lost the sight in his left eye after being struck in the face with a heavy clearance during the first half of the 1-0 defeat at Field Mill. It was later confirmed that Jones had suffered three haemorrhages in the eye, one in the iris and two in the retina, as well as severe bruising. His vision later returned after a course of eye drops and he returned to action the following week in the 2-0 league defeat to Macclesfield. Jones finished the season with 11 goals as Telford finished 24th in the league and were relegated to the Conference North. On 11 May, Telford announced on their website that they would not be offering Jones terms for the following season.

Airbus UK Broughton

On 22 May 2013, Jones signed for Welsh Premier League side Airbus UK Broughton. He said the lure of European football was a major factor in agreeing a deal with The Wingmakers. On 4 July, Jones made his debut for Airbus, coming on as a 55th minute substitute in the Europa League first qualifying round first leg against Latvian side FK Ventspils. The match, played at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, ended 1-1.