Former Lincoln City Midfielder Pens League Two Deal

Former Lincoln City midfielder James Jones has rejoined Crewe Alexandra on a short-term deal until January.

The 30-year-old has been without a club since leaving Burton Albion in June, and returns to the club where he came through the academy and scored 21 goals in 185 appearances. It was Crewe that we signed him from in the summer of 2020, and it was Crewe who provided the opposition for his first game in a City shirt.

Jones had been offered a new deal at Gresty Road after helping the Railwaymen win promotion from League Two, but opted to join Michael Appleton’s rebuild at Sincil Bank. In that League Cup debut, he flicked on a corner for Lewis Montsma to score the winner in a 2-1 victory. In the next round, he got his first City goal himself, scoring from 20 yards as we beat Bradford City 5-0 at Valley Parade to set up a home tie with Liverpool.

His other two goals came in a 6-2 FA Cup win over Forest Green Rovers and a League One victory against Rochdale. There was more to his game than the goals, though. He brought energy to the middle of the pitch, kept the ball moving and could get forward when the opportunity was there. In a side where Jorge Grant and Brennan Johnson supplied so many of the memorable moments, much of Jones’s work came a little deeper.

He made 45 appearances across all competitions in his only season with us, 36 of them in the league. The Imps finished fifth and beat Sunderland over two legs to reach Wembley, where Blackpool came from behind to win 2-1. A year earlier, we had finished 16th in the same division.

Sadly, injuries seemed to dog Jones. He missed a portion of the Christmas period with Covid, and when he returned, Liam Bridcutt, Conor McGrandles and Jorge Grant had the midfield on lockdown. He was used sparingly as the campaign progressed, and by August, Jones had dropped into the National League with Wrexham. It was quite a change of scene for a player who had just been part of a squad one game away from the Championship.

That move worked out for him. He helped Wrexham win the National League title in 2023 and go straight up again as League Two runners-up the following season, before joining Burton in January 2025. He made only four appearances for the Brewers and had been training with Crewe before agreeing to his return.

Six years after he left them for City, he’s back in League Two with the club where it all started.