 Jones in November 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Richard Jones[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-09-28)28 September 1994 (age 31)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Sutton Coldfield, England | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Stourbridge | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2014 | West Bromwich Albion | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2015 | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Birmingham City | 0 | (0) |
| 2015 | →Grimsby Town (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | →Port Vale (loan) | 19 | (9) |
| 2017–2019 | Bradford City | 24 | (5) |
| 2019 | →Cambridge United (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Partick Thistle | 12 | (2) |
| 2021 | Northampton Town | 9 | (1) |
| 2021–2024 | Tamworth | 40 | (5) |
| 2024 | →Stourbridge (loan) | 6 | (3) |
| 2024– | Stourbridge | 23 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 09:59, 15 May 2025 (UTC) | |||
Alexander Richard Jones (born 28 September 1994) is an Englishfootballer who plays as astriker forSouthern League Premier Division Central clubStourbridge.
Jones began his career withWest Bromwich Albion; in 2015, he spent time withGrimsby Town of theNational League. Aloan move toA-League clubWellington Phoenix in 2016 fell through because of an administrative error byNew Zealand Football. He joinedPort Vale on a five-month loan deal in August 2016 and signed a two-and-a-half-yearcontract withBradford City the following January. He left Bradford in 2019, following a loan spell atCambridge United. He spent the 2019–20 season with Scottish clubPartick Thistle and later signed withNorthampton Town in March 2021. He joinedTamworth in November 2021 and helped the club to theSouthern League Premier Division Central title at the end of the 2022–23 season. Tamworth won theNational League North title the following season, though Jones spent some of the campaign away on loan atStourbridge. He joined Stourbridge permanently in June 2024.
Jones was born inSutton Coldfield,[4] and began his football career as a youngster withWest Bromwich Albion at the age of 12.[5] He was a member of the team that won the UK finals of theNike Premier Cup in 2009, and took up a two-year scholarship in 2011.[4][6] When his initial scholarship ended in 2013, he was given a third year.[7] During the 2013–14 season he helped the club'sreserve team win theBirmingham Senior Cup,[8][9] and in May 2015 he signed his first professionalcontract, of one year with the option of a second.[10] Jones sustained an injury during a pre-seasonfriendly that kept him out for three months; he scored twice on his return to the under-21 team,[11][12] and came up with another two goals in his next three matches.[13] Nevertheless, the club decided not to take up the option on his contract – which came as a shock to the player[14] – and in the latter part of the season he had trials withWalsall andBirmingham City.[15]
After appearing in two under-21 matches as part of his trial, theChampionship club were sufficiently impressed to offer Jones a two-year contract, which he accepted.[16] He played regularly for the club's under-21 team in the 2015–16 season, and in November, he joinedNational League clubGrimsby Town on a month'sloan to gain experience of senior football.[17] Although only meeting the team on the way to the match, he came on as a latesubstitute and set up a goal forPádraig Amond as Grimsby won 3–0 away toBarrow.[18] Jones made six appearances during the month; although he did not score, his contribution to the team was such that Grimsby wanted to keep him on, but Birmingham were not prepared to extend the loan.[19]
West Bromwich Albion's goalkeepingcoachJonathan Gould, who formerly coached atWellington Phoenix, had recommended Jones to the New Zealand-basedA-League club before his move to Birmingham, but at the time they had novacancy for a foreign player. In January 2016, they renewed their interest, and Jones signed on loan to the end of the2015–16 season.[20] Birmingham's development coach Richard Beale said the player would benefit from playing regular senior football, and that he deserved his chance because of his professionalism and positive attitude despite not being able to force his way into Birmingham's first-team.[21] The move fell through whenNew Zealand Football failed to forward the completed paperwork toFIFA before thetransfer deadline despite having received it from the Phoenix three days previously.[22] An appeal to the world governing body was unsuccessful, as FIFA "ruled to protect the integrity of their global deadlines for the transfer of players".[23] He remained with Birmingham and was a member of the reserve team that lost the 2016 Birmingham Senior Cup final toNational League North championsSolihull Moors.[24]
Jones joinedLeague One clubPort Vale on a five-month loan deal in August 2016.[25] He remained eligible to play in non-first-team fixtures for Birmingham City during the loan spell.[26] He made hisFootball League debut atVale Park on 16 August, as an 84th-minute substitute forAnton Forrester in a 1–0 win overRochdale; he won apenalty within two minutes of coming onto the field, thoughJJ Hooper missed the ensuing penalty. Jones also had ashot blocked by the last defender after running past goalkeeperJosh Lillis deep into stoppage time.[5][27][28] On 27 August, he scored twice to help the "Valiants" record a 3–1 victory overScunthorpe United despite being played at wide right of the front three.[29]ManagerBruno Ribeiro praised him after the match, saying that "he was fantastic. He scored two goals and worked hard. ... He is one more option for a winger".[30] His performance won him a place on theFootball League Paper's League One Team of the Day.[31] Jones said that he enjoyed playing out of position at right-wing for Port Vale as Ribeiro allowed him a free creative role with few defensive duties, and he also admitted he hoped to extend the loan as he did not suit the style of play at his parent club.[32] He was nominated for theLeague One Player of the Month award for August and September after scoring six goals in eight games.[33] By the end of his loan spell, Jones had scored ten goals from 21 matches. Port Vale had hoped to convert the loan to a permanent deal and, according to club chairmanNorman Smurthwaite, had agreed on a fee with Birmingham but were unable to agree on terms with the player's agent.[34]
On 5 January 2017, Jones signed for another League One club,Bradford City, on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[35] After spending five weeks out with a hip injury, he recorded his first goal for Bradford after coming on as a substitute to score the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over former club Port Vale at Vale Park on 25 February.[36] He scored five goals in 15 league games for the "Bantams" in the second half of the2016–17 season, and also appeared as a 74th-minute substitute forBilly Clarke in theplay-off final defeat toMillwall atWembley Stadium.[37]
Jones opened the2017–18 campaign with five goals in 11 games before damaging his ankle in a 1–0 defeat toPlymouth Argyle atValley Parade on 11 November; he was forced to undergo surgery and was subsequently ruled out of action for four months.[38] He went on to miss almost an entire year with injuries, during which time the club cycled through three managers afterStuart McCall's departure, and Jones admitted that he had hardly even spoke toSimon Grayson, McCall's initial replacement.[39] Finding himself out of then-incumbentDavid Hopkin's first-team plans, on 25 January 2019, Jones moved toLeague Two clubCambridge United on loan for the remainder of the2018–19 season.[40] He stated that his aim at theAbbey Stadium was simply "to gain plenty of match minutes under the belt".[41] In May 2019, following Bradford City'srelegation to League Two, it was announced that he would leave the club upon the expiry of his contract on 30 June 2019, one of 11 players to be released.[42]
On 13 July 2019, Jones signed a one-year deal withScottish Championship clubPartick Thistle, becoming "Jags" managerGary Caldwell's eighth summer signing.[43] After three months out injured Jones returned to the Thistle team to start in a 2–1 win overQueen of the South on 7 December.[44] The following week he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win overInverness Caledonian Thistle.[45] He scored two goals in 17 games in the2019–20 season, which ended in relegation when the season was declared early with nine games left to play due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.[46] Jones left Thistle at the expiry of his contract in July 2020.[47]
On 2 March 2021, Jones joinedNorthampton Town until the end of the2020–21 season.[48] He made his debut for the club seven days later and scored his side's only goal of the game in the 93rd-minute after entering the game as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat away atCharlton Athletic.[49] The "Cobblers" were relegated out of League One at the end of the season and though his contract was due to expire in the summer it was reported that he had been invited to train with the club by managerJon Brady.[50] However, he declined the invitation.[51]
On 2 November 2021, Jones was announced as a signing forSouthern League Premier Division Central sideTamworth.[52] Jones made his debut four days later away atBarwell, coming on in as a substitute on the 60th-minute for Michael Taylor; Tamworth won the match 1–0.[53] He made a further seven appearances in the2021–22 campaign.[54] Tamworth produced a newsletter on 17 June 2022, which confirmed that Jones was in fact on a contract that would see him remain with the club for the2022–23 season.[55]
Jones returned to action for Tamworth after coming on as a 75th-minute substitute forAlex Bradley in a 1–1 draw at home withIlkeston Town on 6 August 2022.[56] On 20 August, he scored his first goal for Tamworth by converting a penalty he had won in an 8–1 victory atBedford Town.[57] He ended the2022–23 campaign with seven goals from 24 games as Tamworth wonpromotion as champions of the Premier Division Central.[54][58]
After illness and injury disrupted the first half of his2023–24 season, Jones joined Southern League Premier Division Central clubStourbridge in January 2024 on a month's loan. On his debut, he scored the match's only goal to beatAlvechurch in stoppage time.[59] He returned to Tamworth, who went on to be crowned asNational League North champions.[60]
On 6 June 2024, Jones signed permanently for Stourbridge.[61] Not long after signing, he was named the clubcaptain for the upcoming season.[62] He scored two goals in 24 games in the2024–25 campaign.[54]
Jones has excellent finishing skills and scored his first nine goals for Port Vale from just 19 shots.[63]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Birmingham City | 2015–16[64] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17[65] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Grimsby Town (loan) | 2015–16[2] | National League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Port Vale (loan) | 2016–17[65] | League One | 19 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 21 | 10 |
| Bradford City | 2016–17[65] | League One | 15 | 5 | — | — | 1[e] | 0 | 16 | 5 | ||
| 2017–18[66] | League One | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2[d] | 3 | 11 | 5 | |
| 2018–19[67] | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 24 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 30 | 10 | ||
| Cambridge United | 2018–19[67] | League Two | 12 | 1 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| Partick Thistle | 2019–20[68] | Scottish Championship | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 17 | 2 |
| Northampton Town | 2020–21[69] | League One | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| Tamworth | 2021–22[54] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2022–23[54] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 20 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 24 | 7 | ||
| 2023–24[2][70] | National League North | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| Total | 40 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 7 | ||
| Stourbridge (loan) | 2023–24[54] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | |||
| Stourbridge | 2024–25[54] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[g] | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
| Total | 29 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 30 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 149 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 171 | 36 | ||
Tamworth
Goalscorer, shows good movement and he has combined very well with Joel Ambalu over a number of years. Member of the 2009 Nike Cup-winning side.
