Keith Aubrey Jones (born 14 October 1965) is an English retired professional footballer, best remembered for his time as a midfielder in the Football League with Brentford and Charlton Athletic. He also played for Southend United, Chelsea, Reading and was capped by England at youth level. He later became a youth and women's coach.
Club career
Chelsea and Brentford (1983–1991) A midfielder, Jones began his career in the Chelsea youth system and made his senior debut in a 3–0 Second Division defeat to Barnsley on 26 March 1983. After one further appearance late in the 1982–83 season, he returned to the youth team and would not appear again until 1984–85, by which time the Blues had been promoted to the First Division. Injuries allowed Jones to break through into the team in September 1984 and he remained a squad player until September 1987, when he dropped down to the Third Division to join Brentford for a tribunal-fixed fee of £40,000. By the beginning of the 1988–89 season, Jones had been appointed club captain and was a part of the Bees teams which reached the sixth round of the 1988–89 FA Cup and the 1991 Third Division play-off semi-finals. His efforts during the 1990–91 season were recognised with his inclusion in the Third Division PFA Team of the Year. In October 1991, a contract dispute with manager Phil Holder saw Jones transfer to Second Division Southend United for a tribunal-fixed fee of £175,000.
Southend United, Charlton Athletic and Reading (1991–2002) Despite making over 100 appearances for the club, Jones' four years with Southend United yielded little success on the pitch and he transferred to First Division rivals Charlton Athletic for a £150,000 fee in September 1994. In just under six years at The Valley, he was a part of two teams which won promotion to the Premier League – the first in 1998 after victory in the First Division play-off final and the second two years later, when the club won the First Division title. Jones was transfer-listed in May 2000 and signed a two-year contract with Second Division club Reading on a free transfer on 1 July 2000. Now the twilight years of his career, Jones was utilised as a squad player and was a part of the team which won automatic promotion to the First Division on the final day of the 2001–02 season. He was released in May 2002 and retired from football.
International career Jones was capped by England at schoolboy and U17 level.
Coaching career Jones began his coaching career in 2000, while still a player. He coached at Chelsea and Tooting & Mitcham United, before moving to the United States in 2006 to coach Atlanta Silverbacks Women. Jones moved to Arizona youth club SC del Sol in 2009.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupLeague CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsChelsea1982–83Second Division200000—201984–85First Division2120052—2641985–86First Division1421030402221986–87First Division173003110214Total54710113507110Brentford1987–88Third Division36110—103811988–89Third Division4038241405661989–90Third Division4221040305021990–91Third Division45632418160101991–92Third Division61—30—91Total1691313415216121320Southend United1991–92Second Division34500—003451992–93First Division2910000002911993–94First Division2250000002251994–95First Division70—00—70Total901150409110812Charlton Athletic1994–95First Division31100——3111995–96First Division2500000302801996–97First Division1702000—1901997–98First Division4433110305141998–99Premier League2210030—2511999–00First Division1711000—181Total15867170601787Reading2000–01Second Division2403100102812001–02Second Division160100000170Total400410010451Career total5093730637537261350
Honours
As a player Charlton Athletic Football League First Division: 1999–2000; play-offs: 1998
Reading Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 2001–02
Individual PFA Team of the Year: 1990–91 Third Division Football League Young Eagle of the Month: December 1984
As a manager Atlanta Silverbacks Women USL W-League Central Conference: 2007 USL W-League Atlantic Division: 2007
As an individual USL W-League Coach of the Year: 2007
References
External links