William James Jones (1876 – 6 May 1918) was a Welsh international footballer who played his club football for Kettering and West Ham United of the Southern League. He was killed in action in Macedonia in the First World War.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William James Jones[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1876 | ||
| Place of birth | Penrhiwceiber, Wales | ||
| Date of death | May 1918 (aged 41–42)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Doiran, Macedonia | ||
| Position(s) | Half back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1898–1901 | Aberdare Athletic | ||
| 1901 | Kettering | 9 | (0) |
| 1901–1902 | West Ham United | 15 | (0) |
| 1902–1904 | Aberaman Athletic | ||
| 1904–1906 | Rogerstone | ||
| International career | |||
| 1901–1902 | Wales | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Football career
editJones was born in the village of Penrhiwceiber,[3] near Aberdare and started his football career with Aberdare Athletic in 1898, becoming team captain in 1901.[3] In March 1901, he became the first player from South Wales league football to be selected for Wales,[3] when he played in the 1–1 draw with Scotland[4] followed by a 6–0 defeat by England. (In the latter match, four goals were scored by Steve Bloomer.[5])
Described as "a sound tackler who played well within himself" who was "adept at feeding the wingmen",[3] his transfer to Kettering in September 1901 was "much regretted" in his home town.[3] He failed to settle at Kettering and in December he moved to West Ham United in a swap with Peter Kyle.[3] He was relatively successful at the East London club, with only two defeats in 15 Southern League appearances.[6]
In the summer of 1902, he returned to Wales joining Aberaman Athletic.[3] At the end of his first season there, he helped Aberaman become the first club from South Wales to reach the final of the Welsh Cup, although the final was a one-sided affair with Wrexham winning 8–0.[7] From 1904 to 1906, Jones finished his career at Rogerstone.[3]
Jones made four appearances for Wales in official international matches.[8]
Death
editIn World War I, Jones was a private of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.[1] He was killed in action and buried at the Doiran Military Cemetery in the north of Greece, near the south-east shore of Lake Doiran.[1][2]
References
edit- ^ a b c "William James Jones | Service Record". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ a b "W J Jones". Casualty Details. CWGC. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 117. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
- ^ "Wales 1 – 1 Scotland". Welsh Football Data archive. 2 March 1901. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "England 6 – 0 Wales". www.englandstats.com. 18 March 1901. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "William Jones". Wonderful World of West Ham United Statistics. www.westhamstats.info. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Wrexham 8 Aberaman 0". Welsh Cup Final. Welsh Football Data archive. 13 April 1903. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ Samuel, Bill (2009). The Complete Wales FC 1876–2008. Soccer Books. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-86223-176-4.
External links
edit- William Jones at EU-Football.info