Leslie Jones (footballer)

Football player infobox
playername = Leslie Jones


fullname = Leslie Jenkin Jones
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date |1911|06|1
dateofdeath = January 1981
cityofbirth = Aberdare
countryofbirth = Wales
height =
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = ?-1929
1929-1934
1934-1937
1937-1946
1946
1946-1948
1948-1949
clubs = Aberdare Athletic
Cardiff City
Coventry City
Arsenal
Swansea Town
Barry Town
Brighton & Hove Albion
caps(goals) = 00? 0(?)
142 (31)
138 (70)
046 0(3)
002 0(0)
00? 0(?)
003 0(0)
nationalyears =
nationalteam = Wales
nationalcaps(goals) = 011 0(?)
manageryears = 1946-1948
1950-1951
managerclubs = Barry Town (player-manager)
Scunthorpe United
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

Leslie Jenkin Jones (born 1 July, 1911 in Aberdare, died January 1981) is a former Welsh professional footballer

Career

As a youngster Jones began his career at his local side Aberdare Athletic, while also working at his fathers butchers shop, before signing for Cardiff City in 1929, He made his debut in a 1-0 defeat during a South Wales derby against Swansea Town. Despite Cardiff struggling and falling down the league during his time there he scored 31 goals in 142 league games. He eventually moved to Coventry City in January 1934 and went on to score 27 goals in his first full season for the club, which earnt him the first of his eleven caps for Wales. His impressive scoring record at Highfield Road - seventy goals in 138 games - meant Jones attracted interest from various clubs and Coventry managed to resist a £7,000 offer from Tottenham Hotspur but couldn't resist an even higher offer from Arsenal in 1937.

Jones made his Arsenal debut against Grimsby Town on November 6 1937, scoring in a 2-1 defeat, and he helped the club to a league title in the 1937-38 season; [ [http://www.ccfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0,,10269~1030484,00.html "Hall of fame"] Coventrycityfc.co.uk Retrieved on 11 March, 2008] Jones played as a withdrawn inside forward for Arsenal and consequently scored fewer goals – just three in 31 appearances that season. He won a Charity Shield medal the following season but his career at Arsenal was limited due to the outbreak of World War II; during the war he served in the Royal Air Force but still found time to play 71 wartime games and five wartime internationals for Wales. By the time the war ended, he was 35 and his final game for Arsenal was against West Ham United in the FA Cup on January 9 1946. In total he played 50 times for the club, scoring three goals.

He was released by Arsenal on a free transfer in 1946 and joined Swansea Town as a player-coach. His stay at the Vetch Field was short and he left to take over as player-manager at non-league side Barry Town before returning to the Football League with his final club, Brighton & Hove Albion, before retiring.

In June 1950 he was appointed manager of Scunthorpe United, becoming the clubs first Football League manager and guided them to a twelfth place finish in their first season in the League. Towards the end of the season his relationship with the board detioriated and he resigned at the end of the season. [ [http://www.scunthorpe-united.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0,,10442~401669,00.html "The men in charge"] Scunthorpeunitefc.co.uk Retrieved on 11 March, 2008]

References