Fred Jones (footballer born 1867)
Encyclopedia
Frederick William "Fred" Jones (January 1867 – 27 December 1910) was a Wales international
footballer who played in the Football League
for Small Heath
and Lincoln City
.
, which was then in Caernarfonshire
, and began his football career with Llandudno Swifts before trying his luck in England. He began with West Manchester and in the summer of 1890 moved on to Burslem Port Vale
. He made his debut in a friendly
at Newton Heath
on 1 September 1890 and must have spoken to the opposition management as he left on a transfer to Newton Heath at his own request at the end of the month.
Without playing a competitive game for the club in nearly two years, Jones left Newton Heath for Football League Second Division
club Small Heath
in August 1892. His brother Arnold also played for the club during the 1892–93 season, though never appeared for the first team. After Fred Speller broke his leg, Jones took over the left back
position, making his debut on 3 December 1892 in a 1–1 draw at home to Sheffield United
, and played nine games in all competitions, contributing to Small Heath's Second Division title.
On 18 March 1893 Jones won his first and only full international cap for Wales
, and became the first Small Heath player to be capped by Wales; Wales lost 8–0 to Scotland
.
By then, Jones had lost his place in Small Heath's starting eleven to Bernard Pumfrey
, and in September 1893 he joined fellow Second Division club Lincoln City
. He played nine times in all competitions for Lincoln's first team, later joining Reading
and then returning to Wales. In the latter part of his career he was employed more often as an emegency goalkeeper than a full-back.
Jones was found dead in the street in his native Llandudno; his death, in 1910 at the age of 43, was attributed to an apoplectic seizure
.
Wales 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...
footballer who played in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for Small Heath
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
.
Career
Jones was born in LlandudnoLlandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
, which was then in Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire , historically spelled as Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire in English during its existence, was one of the thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county of Wales....
, and began his football career with Llandudno Swifts before trying his luck in England. He began with West Manchester and in the summer of 1890 moved on to Burslem Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. He made his debut in a friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
at 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...
on 1 September 1890 and must have spoken to the opposition management as he left on a transfer to Newton Heath at his own request at the end of the month.
Without playing a competitive game for the club in nearly two years, Jones left Newton Heath for 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...
club Small Heath
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in August 1892. His brother Arnold also played for the club during the 1892–93 season, though never appeared for the first team. After Fred Speller broke his leg, Jones took over the left back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
position, making his debut on 3 December 1892 in a 1–1 draw at home to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, and played nine games in all competitions, contributing to Small Heath's Second Division title.
On 18 March 1893 Jones won his first and only full international cap for Wales
Wales 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...
, and became the first Small Heath player to be capped by Wales; Wales lost 8–0 to 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...
.
By then, Jones had lost his place in Small Heath's starting eleven to Bernard Pumfrey
Bernard Pumfrey
Bernard Pumfrey was an English professional footballer who made 132 appearances in the Football League playing for Small Heath and Gainsborough Trinity. He played as a full back.-Career:...
, and in September 1893 he joined fellow Second Division club Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
. He played nine times in all competitions for Lincoln's first team, later joining Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
and then returning to Wales. In the latter part of his career he was employed more often as an emegency goalkeeper than a full-back.
Jones was found dead in the street in his native Llandudno; his death, in 1910 at the age of 43, was attributed to an apoplectic seizure
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
.