Former Lincoln City midfielder James Jones appears on the PFA team list this week, as he seemingly hunts for his next role in football.
I really liked James Jones, until he was struck down by COVID after our 9th January game against Peterborough United at the Bank. He completed 90 minutes, but had a month out, returning as we drew 2-2 with Accrington Stanley. It felt a lot like COVID robbed us of a key player not only for the period he was missing, but the duration of his return.
James Jones
Jones came through at Crewe Alexandra, making his senior debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw at Crawley Town in November 2014. Born in Dundee, the midfielder quickly began to establish himself at Gresty Road, and Crewe kept him under contract through a clause in 2017. That period of his career was also disrupted by injury, with a potential move to Preston North End falling through because of concerns around his recovery from a hernia operation and related pelvic problem. A medial ligament injury then ruled him out for much of the 2017/18 season, before he returned late in the campaign.
He signed a new two-year deal with Crewe in 2018 and remained there until the end of the shortened 2019/20 season, when he was offered fresh terms but opted for a move to the Bank. Jones joined the Imps on a free transfer in July 2020, signing a three-year contract and making an early impact by scoring in the 5-0 EFL Cup win over Bradford City.
What happened next? We’ll have a look, but after just one season, he moved to Wrexham, dropping into the National League on a three-year deal. He went on to help Wrexham return to the EFL, earned a new contract in October 2023, and then returned to League One with Burton Albion in January 2025 on an 18-month deal.
James Jones at Lincoln
I’ve gone stats-heavy here, but the bare facts are these. Before suffering from COVID, Jones played 26 matches and averaged 89 minutes per game. That number was dragged down by late appearances as a sub in the EFL Trophy and being taken off during the Liverpool cup tie. What it means is that as we sat within touching distance of the Championship, James Jones had been one of our most important players.
Once he came back into the side, the picture was different. In 15 matches, he averaged 54 minutes, and he didn’t appear in 35% of the league and play-off fixtures at all. That’s an alarming drop off, and while it could be Conor McGrandles emergence that made a difference, it’s certainly worth picking up on.
James Jones Stats 2020/21
Jones’ numbers show a fairly obvious split, but it is not as simple as saying he became better or worse after COVID.
Before COVID, Jones looked like a settled, reliable League One midfielder. He averaged 36.9 passes per 90, completing 29.6, which works out at 80.2% accuracy. Post-COVID, that fell to 33.6 passes per 90 and 26.1 completed, with his accuracy dipping to 77.6%. His total actions per 90 barely changed, from 63.7 before to 64.3 after, but the success rate dropped from 60.7% to 57.2%. In plain terms, he was just as involved, but slightly less clean in what he did.
The attacking output also shifted. Before COVID, Jones produced two goals and three assists, which is 0.19 goal contributions per 90. After COVID, that became one assist and no goals in 811 minutes, or 0.11 per 90. That assist came in a rare post-Christmas bright spot, the 3-0 win against his former side, Crewe, and it sparked a run of three matches where he got 90 minutes, before he was hooked as we lost against Oxford United.
He actually shot slightly more often after COVID, 1.55 shots per 90 compared to 1.47 before, and his xG rose from 0.11 to 0.15 per 90. However, his shots on target fell sharply, from 0.54 per 90 to 0.33. That suggests he was still arriving in areas to shoot, perhaps even getting better-value chances, but the execution was not at the same level.
Where the post-COVID version does come out well is in the more combative side of the game. His duels rose from 16.0 to 17.9 per 90, and his duels won went from 7.6 to 8.9. His duel success rate improved from 47.5% to 49.7%. Interceptions also jumped, from 2.32 to 3.22 per 90, while recoveries climbed from 5.38 to 5.88. Were we just worse, and as a result, he had to drop deeper?
There was a further trade-off in possession quality and delivery. His long passing accuracy fell from 51.5% to 43.2%, while his crossing dropped from 1.43 attempts per 90 to 1.00, with accuracy falling from 40.5% to 22.2%. That is a fairly clear decline in his use of the ball over distance and from wide or advanced areas. He was still attempting slightly more dribbles per 90 and completing them at the same rate, but the wider creative influence was reduced.
Overall, the pre-COVID Jones was, without a doubt, a more rounded version: more minutes, better passing accuracy, stronger end product, cleaner crossing and more consistent attacking contribution. The post-COVID Jones was not absent from games, far from it. He was just different, used more sparingly, and ultimately injured before the end of the campaign, missing the final game of the season and the whole play-off attempt. That made him surplus to requirements the following season, a big decision given how important he was before he got COVID.
I really liked James Jones. I liked him on the ball, and for a few months, he was an automatic choice in the middle of the park, above Conor McGrandles, whom you later voted as Player of the Season. Did COVID just give others a chance to impress, keeping Jones out, or did he suffer significantly enough to ruin a promising Lincoln City career?
The reason I have thought so much about this is that I got COVID in September, and my running, lung capacity and energy have taken a hit, and still seem to be affected nine months later.
Comments Welcome!