Cliff Jones was a former Welsh footballer that was active during the 1950's and 60's. He began his football career at age 17, with Billy McCandless' Swansea Town signing the Welsh youngster in 1952. The move also saw him join his brother Bryn at the club.
Jones made his league debut against Bury in October 1952. His first goal came just 2 days later, when Swansea faced Leeds United. The Welsh lad began his career as an inside forward, but shifted to the left wing by the 1953–54 season. He made over 193 appearances in all competitions for Swansea, and scored a respectable 54 goals.
Let us now look at the rest of his career, including his legendary Tottenham run and final years in football.
Tottenham Move: The Transfer That Changed Jones’ Career
It was in February 1958 that Jones joined Tottenham, with Swansea receiving a then record £35,000 fee for the player. The Welshman's Spurs debut came against arch rivals Arsenal, which took place at Highbury. Jones did not have the best of starts to life at Tottenham, as he struggled to play at his best and eventually broke his leg during a pre-season training in Summer 1958.
The young winger made his return in December of the same year, and went on to make a remarkable comeback. Jones put up a heroic display throughout the 1959–60 season, as he finished that campaign with 25 goals.
He was an instrumental part of Tottenham's legendary 1960–61 double winning season, during which he scored 19 goals. It was the beginning of a golden period for Tottenham, which continued with triumphs in the 1962 FA Cup Final and 1963 European Cup Winners Cup Final. His final silverware for Spurs was the 1967 FA Cup, for which he won a further medal despite being as a non-playing substitute.
Jones was nothing short of spectacular during the early 60's, and those heroics even resulted in a then world-record £125,000 bid for the player by Juventus. Spurs however, ended up rejecting the offer.
The Welshman was not only an epitome of talent, but of versatility as well. He was capable of operating in either wings, as Jones played on the right wing in the Double-winning season, and on the left in the subsequent seasons.
His final appearance came against Manchester United on 9th October 1968, in which he scored his last goal for Spurs as well. Jones still remains as one of the top scorers in the club's history, scoring 159 goals in 378 games (with 135 coming in 318 league games).
Later Career: Fulham and Non-League Football
After his memorable decade long stint at Tottenham, Jones began his next football chapter at Fulham in 1968. He played for two seasons at the club, before making the move to English side King's Lynn. After a year at King's Lynn, Jones played for the likes of several English clubs including Bedford Town, Wealdstone, Cambridge City then Wingate. The Welshman eventually retired in 1971.
Wales Career: Cliff Jones and the 1958 World Cup Journey
While his time with the Wales national side didn't result in any silverware, Cliff Jones is undoubtedly an important part of the nation's footballing history.
He was called into the Welsh national side after playing only 25 times as a winger for Swansea, which was a testament to his talent at the time. His debut came against Austria in May 1954. This was followed by a memorable match against England, which saw Jones score the winner to help Wales win 2-1.
His most memorable performance for Wales came in a 1958 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Israel, as he scored a hat-trick in their 4-0 victory. It was a historic result, as the win sealed their first ever World Cup qualification.
Jones took part in all five of Wales' games at the 1958 World Cup, helping Wales reach the quarter-final. They eventually lost to Brazil, beaten by a goal from Pelé.
Jones played his final international game against Italy, which was a World Cup qualifier that took place in October 1968.
The Welshman had a 15 year stint with his national side, earning 59 caps and scoring 16 goals. Jones bid farewell to football as a legend of the game, for both club and country.
