Record-breaking year sets Jodi up for shot at player of season accolade
MAGPIES’ ASSIST KING IS SHORTLISTED FOR LEAGUE TWO AWARD AS JONES THANKS HIS TEAM-MATES FOR CONVERTING OPPORTUNITIES
NOTTS County winger Jodi Jones has been nominated for the Sky Bet League Two Player of the Season award following a record-breaking year.
The 26-year-old is nominated for the award alongside Elliott Lee of Wrexham and Davis Keillor-dunn of Mansfield Town for his stellar performances for the Magpies this term.
The Malta international has set a new record for assists in a single League Two season with 23 in 36 starts and there are still six games left in the season to extend that tally further as he looks to help Notts end the season on a strong note.
County’s season has not turned out as they hoped with the start they made, but the performances of players such as Jones give the club a reason for hope moving forward if they can persuade their best players to stay beyond the current campaign.
Jones joined originally on loan from Oxford United midway through the previous season, helping Notts achieve promotion from the National League via the play-offs under previous boss Luke Williams.
Jones has played as high as the Championship with former club Coventry City, but a constant battle with injuries stunted his development with the Sky Blues after a couple of strong seasons with the club.
After an unsuccessful stint with Oxford, the move to Notts, which was made permanent last summer, injected new life into the 26-yearold’s career, and the numbers he has put up this season in League Two are a true indication of his quality.
Jones has predominantly played as an attacking wing-back in the Notts system, which has allowed him to be one of the main creative powers in the team as evidenced by his assist stats.
His attacking qualities draw the attention of opposition defenders, with Jones being one of the most fouled players in League Two while also being in the top five percent of players in the fourth tier for successful dribbles and touches in the opposition box.
Jones was previously asked about how he has been able to rack up so many assists for Notts this term, to which he had a straightforward reply, with the hope for the club being they can keep their strong core of attacking players together for the foreseeable future.
Jones said: “I can only thank my team-mates. The way we work and the things we do allow me to get the ball and put it into dangerous areas.
“When you’ve got players like Mcgoldrick, Langstaff, Crowley and Nemane getting on the end of them, you know you’ve got a chance of getting loads of assists.”