Nico_Jones
Nico Jones
Irish footballer
Nico Anthony Jones (born 3 February 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Isthmian League South East Division club Burgess Hill Town.
|
Jones playing for Brentford B in April 2022. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nico Anthony Jones[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-02-03) 3 February 2002 (age 22) | ||
| Place of birth | Chelsea, England[2] | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Central defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Burgess Hill Town | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2018 | Fulham | ||
| 2018–2019 | Oxford United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2021 | Oxford United | 3 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Oxford City (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Havant & Waterlooville (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Brentford | 0 | (0) |
| 2023 | Welling United | 0 | (0) |
| 2024 | Dover Athletic | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | Burgess Hill Town | 4 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2019 | Republic of Ireland U18 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:00, 28 April 2024 (UTC) | |||
Jones is a product of the Fulham Academy and began his professional career with Oxford United. He transferred to Brentford B in 2021, for whom he played until his release in 2023. Born in England, Jones was capped by the Republic of Ireland at under-18 level.
Early years and Oxford United
A central defender, Jones began his youth career in the Fulham Academy at under-9 level.[3][4] After eight years with the club,[4] he signed a scholarship deal with Oxford United in 2018.[5] He made three first team appearances late in the 2018–19 season and signed a two-year professional contract, with the option of a further year, in June 2019.[6] Jones made just one senior appearance during the 2019–20 season,[7] albeit a memorable one, when he captained Oxford United to a 4–1 EFL Trophy group stage win over Crawley Town on 12 November 2019.[8] The appearance made him the club's youngest-ever captain.[8]
Jones was thereafter was reduced to making EFL Trophy appearances and spent time away on loan at National League South clubs Oxford City and Havant & Waterlooville during the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.[2][7][9][10] He was released in June 2021, after the club neglected to take up the one-year option on his contract.[11] Jones made eight senior appearances during three seasons at the Kassam Stadium.[12]
Brentford
On 15 August 2021, Jones transferred to the B team at Premier League club Brentford and signed two-year contract, with the option of a further year, on a free transfer.[13] Over the course of the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons, he made 61 B team appearances and was a part of the 2021–22 London Senior Cup-winning squad.[14][15] Jones occasionally participated in first team training during the 2021–22 season and made one mid-season friendly appearance.[16][17] He was released when his contract expired in June 2023.[14]
Non-League football
On 21 November 2023, Jones signed a short-term contract with National League South club Welling United.[18] He made a single Kent Senior Cup appearance for the club.[19] On 6 February 2024, Jones made a second Kent Senior Cup appearance of the 2023–24 season, for Dover Athletic.[20] As an ineligible player, the club was thrown out of the competition for fielding him.[20] On 1 March 2024, Jones transferred to Isthmian League South East Division club Burgess Hill Town.[21] He made four appearances before the end of the 2023–24 season,[22] which culminated in relegation.[23]
Jones was called into the Republic of Ireland under-18 squad for a friendly tournament in Sweden in September 2019 and he made one appearance,[24] in a 0–0 draw with the hosts.[25] Jones made his only under-20 appearance with a start in a non-cap friendly versus the Republic of Ireland amateur team on 22 March 2022.[26]
- As of match played 27 April 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Oxford United | 2018–19[27] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019–20[7] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020–21[9] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Oxford City (loan) | 2019–20[2] | National League South | 3 | 0 | ― | ― | ― | 3 | 0 | |||
| Havant & Waterlooville (loan) | 2020–21[2] | National League South | 1 | 0 | ― | ― | 1[lower-alpha 4] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Welling United | 2023–24[19] | National League South | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | 1[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Dover Athletic | 2023–24[19] | National League South | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | 1[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Burgess Hill Town | 2023–24[22] | Isthmian League South East Division | 4 | 0 | ― | ― | ― | 4 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||
- Includes FA Cup
- Includes EFL Cup
- Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
- Appearance in FA Trophy
- Appearance in Kent Senior Cup
Brentford B
- London Senior Cup: 2021–22[15]
- "Notification of shirt numbers: Oxford United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 52. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- Nico Jones at Soccerway. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Nico Jones". www.brentfordfc.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- "Nico Jones – Defender – Under 21 Team". Oxford United. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Nine New Scholars at Oxford United". www.oufc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Nico Jones Signs First Professional Contract". www.oufc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Games played by Nico Jones in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Good Day For Goodrham". www.oufc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Games played by Nico Jones in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Nico Jones Joins Oxford City On Loan". www.oufc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "U's Announce Retained List". www.oufc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- Nico Jones at Soccerbase
- "Nico Jones joins Brentford B". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Brentford B squad update". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- "Match Report: Brentford B win London Senior Cup on penalties". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- "Nico Jones: Step by Step". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- "Match Report: Brentford XI 3 Leicester City U23s 0". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- "Nico Jones | Player Profile". Aylesbury United Archive. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- Reeves, Thomas (24 February 2024). "Confirmed: Whites out of Kent Senior Cup". Kent Online. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- "Defender Jones joins the Hillians". bhtfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- "Burgess Hill Town | Appearances | Nico Jones". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- Burgess Hill Town F.C. at the Football Club History Database
- "Ireland U18: Reid names squad for Sweden tournament". Football Association of Ireland. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Ireland U18: Ireland held to a draw by hosts Sweden". Football Association of Ireland. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Nico Jones makes Ireland Under-20 debut". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- "Games played by Nico Jones in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 November 2019.