Joey Jones is one of the finest ever full-backs to have come from Wales, and is mostly notable for his stint at Liverpool with whom he won 2 European titles.
The Welshman began his football career with Wrexham, as a 17 year old Joey made his debut against Chester City in the Welsh Cup. Wrexham and Joey ended up crashing out of the Welsh Cup that day, but they went on to clinch that same title later in 1975. The match saw Wrexham beat Cardiff City to become champions.
Jones went on to establish himself as a reliable right-back at Wrexham, and was an integral part of helping them reach the FA Quarter-final in 1974. It was the very first time they progressed till that stage of the competition. The Welshman eventually left Wrexham after 2 years at the club in 1973.
Let us now look at how Jones fared in his career after departing Wrexham.
The golden phase
After 2 years at Wrexham, Jones went on to join his boyhood Club Liverpool for a £110,000 transfer fee in July 1975. His debut came on 16th August against QPR, which ended in a 2-0 loss for the Reds. His lack of participation for Liverpool in the 1975–76 season also meant that he missed out on a league championship medal.
Jones was a part of the famous 1977 Liverpool that were on course to achieve a historic treble. The Welshman scored his first Liverpool goal that same year, in Liverpool's 5-1 thrashing of Leicester.
Liverpool and Jones however, failed in their attempts to achieve the treble. A 2-1 loss in the FA Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley shattered those dreams for the Reds. Jones was instrumental in the final, as he supplied the long pass for Jimmy Case to score Liverpool's only goal of the match.
Despite the FA Cup heartbreaking defeat, Liverpool redeemed themselves by winning their first ever European Cup by beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1. The historic feat also made Jones the first ever Welshman to receive a European Cup winners medal.
The match is also memorable for Jones due to a banner that was unfurled by Liverpool supporters at the European Cup final in Rome which said "Joey Ate The Frogs Legs, Made The Swiss Roll, Now He's Munching Gladbach".
Liverpool ended their season with a memorable league and European Cup triumph.
Wrexham return and Chelsea stint
After a successful 3 years at Liverpool, Jones made his return to Wrexham for a £210,000 fee in 1978. The transfer stood as Wrexham's record signing till January 2022, when they paid £300,000 for Ollie Palmer. His homecoming lasted for 4 years, as Jones jumped to London for a new chapter.
The year of 1982 saw Chelsea pay £34,000 to Wrexham for Jones. His debut for the Blues was a disaster though, as the Welshman got sent off against Carlisle United. Jones however, went on to become a cult hero among the fans at Chelsea. His committed attitude and pre-match fist-clenching ritual was widely loved by the supporters.
Jones was an instrumental part in helping Chelsea avoid relegation to the Third Division. He was a part of the side that achieved promotion by becoming Second-Division Champions in the 1983–84 season.
The Welsh Fullback played for one more season in the English top-flight, before being sold to Huddersfield Town for £35,000 in August 1985.
One final homecoming
Jones had a fine debut season at Huddersfield, as he became their Player of the Year. He left after 2 seasons, for one final stint at Wrexham.
The legendary Welsh fullback spent another 5 years at Wrexham, before bidding farewell to the Beautiful game.
