Owen Jones (footballer)
Encyclopedia
John Owen "Chorley" Jones (July 1871 – 23 September 1955) was a Welsh
footballer who played as a forward for several clubs in Wales and England, including Bangor City
, Crewe Alexandra
and Newton Heath
.
, Jones began his football career with Bangor F.C.
, before joining Football League Second Division
side Crewe Alexandra
in October 1894. After three years with Crewe, Jones transferred to Chorley
, the 1896–97 Lancashire League
champions, in September 1897. After Chorley could only manage a fifth-place finish in the Lancashire League in 1898, Jones signed for Newton Heath
of the Football League Second Division.
Jones made his Newton Heath debut in the first fixture of the 1898–99 season, playing in the centre forward position in a 2–0 away win over Gainsborough Trinity
on 3 September 1898. However, he only made one more appearance for the Heathens, a 5–1 away defeat to Burton Swifts
on 1 October 1898, before being suspended by the club for "not obeying orders". By 1899, he had transferred back to Bangor, where he remained for the next two seasons, before transferring to Stalybridge Rovers
, via a brief stint with Earlestown.
. Selected in the Welsh squad for the 1901 British Home Championship
, Jones made his Wales debut on 2 March 1901, playing at inside right
in a 1–1 draw with Scotland
in Wrexham
. He was dropped for the following game against England
on 18 March, to allow Pugh to move to inside right and Billy Meredith
could take up his usual position at outside right
.
Jones returned to the Wales team for the game against Ireland on 23 March at Pugh's expense, lining up alongside Meredith on the right side of the forward line. Jones ended up scoring the winning goal for Wales, as the match finished 1–0 to the away side. The result meant that Wales finished in third place in the 1901 Home Championship, ahead of Ireland.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
footballer who played as a forward for several clubs in Wales and England, including Bangor City
Bangor City F.C.
Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....
, Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
and Newton Heath
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
.
Club career
Born in Bangor, GwyneddBangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
, Jones began his football career with Bangor F.C.
Bangor City F.C.
Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....
, before joining Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
side Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
in October 1894. After three years with Crewe, Jones transferred to Chorley
Chorley F.C.
Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they...
, the 1896–97 Lancashire League
Lancashire League (football)
The Lancashire League has been the name of two separate football competitions for clubs based in northern England.-Lancashire League :...
champions, in September 1897. After Chorley could only manage a fifth-place finish in the Lancashire League in 1898, Jones signed for Newton Heath
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
of the Football League Second Division.
Jones made his Newton Heath debut in the first fixture of the 1898–99 season, playing in the centre forward position in a 2–0 away win over Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
on 3 September 1898. However, he only made one more appearance for the Heathens, a 5–1 away defeat to Burton Swifts
Burton Swifts F.C.
Burton Swifts were an English football club from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club ceased to exist in 1901 when they merged with Burton Wanderers to form Burton United.-History:...
on 1 October 1898, before being suspended by the club for "not obeying orders". By 1899, he had transferred back to Bangor, where he remained for the next two seasons, before transferring to Stalybridge Rovers
Stalybridge Rovers F.C.
Stalybridge Rovers Football Club was an English football club from Stalybridge, Cheshire at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century.-History:...
, via a brief stint with Earlestown.
International career
During his second spell with Bangor, Jones received his first call-up to the Welsh national teamWales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
. Selected in the Welsh squad for the 1901 British Home Championship
1901 British Home Championship
The 1901 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. England won the competition with five points after strong victories over Wales and Ireland...
, Jones made his Wales debut on 2 March 1901, playing at inside right
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
in a 1–1 draw with Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
. He was dropped for the following game against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
on 18 March, to allow Pugh to move to inside right and Billy Meredith
Billy Meredith
William Henry "Billy" Meredith was a Welsh footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each domestic trophy in the English football league and also gained 48 caps for Wales, for whom he...
could take up his usual position at outside right
Outside forward
Outside forward is a position in association football which refers to a footballer who plays as an advanced forward on the right or left wing - as an outside right or outside left. Typically as part of a 2-3-5 formation or one of its variants...
.
Jones returned to the Wales team for the game against Ireland on 23 March at Pugh's expense, lining up alongside Meredith on the right side of the forward line. Jones ended up scoring the winning goal for Wales, as the match finished 1–0 to the away side. The result meant that Wales finished in third place in the 1901 Home Championship, ahead of Ireland.
External links
- Profile at StretfordEnd.co.uk