Paul Jones

Club career

Born in Chirk near Wrexham, and educated in Shropshire at the Thomas Adams School in Wem, Jones started his career at Bridgnorth Town, joining Kidderminster Harriers in 1986 and then moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee of £60,000 in 1991. He only managed to play 44 games before moving on to Stockport County in 1996 where he was ever present in the 1996–97 season. When Stockport County manager Dave Jones joined Southampton as manager, he signed Jones. He won Southampton player of the season in 1998 and earned a call up to Wales and became the number one goalkeeper. He played for Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup final against Arsenal (which was lost 1–0) coming on as substitute for the injured Antti Niemi. He was the first ever goalkeeper to make a substitute appearance in an FA Cup final. He left Southampton in 2004, but not before joining Liverpool on loan during a goalkeeping injury crisis, thus becoming the club's oldest post-war debutant. Jones re-joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2004, but was loaned out to Watford in December of that year. In January 2006, Wolves cancelled Jones' contract by mutual consent. In February 2006, he joined Queens Park Rangers for the rest of the 2005–06 season. Due to his success at the club he was given a one-year extension to his contract that would last up until May 2007. When this contract expired Jones was released by the London club and later signed for non-league Bognor Regis Town.

International…

Kidderminster Harriers

FA Trophy: 1986–87 Stockport County

Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1996–97 Southampton

FA Cup runner-up: 2002–03 Individual

Welsh Footballer of the Year: 1999