Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER
Jones: I’d love to leave for Ibrox on a high by getting fans on my side again
JORDAN JONES owes Kilmarnock for helping turn his career around after Middlesbrough told him he had no future in the game. Now the Rugby Park winger would love to deliver silverware as a parting gift to the club and boss Steve Clarke before his summer switch to Rangers.
Jones has been in the eye of a storm since he took to social media this month to celebrate his pre-contract move to Ibrox.
The 24-year-old admitted he got carried away due to the magnitude of the deal, which comes exactly three years after he was let go by his hometown club.
It’s a sign of Jones’s mental strength that he not only got his career back on track after that bombshell but has now earned a move to Rangers. Lee Clark gave him the chance which he grasped with both hands and he has helped take the club from relegation candidates to title challengers.
Current boss Clarke has been the main factor in that transformation but Jones says he’s indebted to the club.
That’s why he is determined to leave on a high by winning a trophy, with Killie starting their Scottish Cup campaign at home to Forfar tomorrow.
If he can manage that it will go some way to appeasing the furious fans who reckon he was disrespectful to Killie for sharing his joy over his move.
Jones said: “I was a bit overexcited but to go from being told I had no future in football three years ago to this was a proud day.
“I might not be playing if it wasn’t for Kilmarnock. They gave me the chance when I was ringing about for trials and Lee kept me in the game so I need to give him credit as well.
“I try not to think too much about where I might have been and focus on where I am now. But I was told three years ago this month I didn’t have a future in the game. I’m proud of where I am now after turning it around and maybe that’s why I got excited. Hopefully people will understand that.
“A lot of players get released and it’s extra hard when it’s your local club but it’s down to you what you want to do with your life and career and I’ve turned it around but before I go I would love to win the Scottish Cup or league – or both!
“The manager is top class.
“I knew nothing would change between me and him or me and my teammates.
“If the fans are going to boo then it’s out of my control. I came here twoand-a-half years ago and the team stayed up after a relegation play-off.
“Now we’re a point off top spot and I’ve played over 100 games so if they don’t respect that then that’s their choice.
“I’ve always thanked the club for everything they’ve done for me. They gave me the chance and I’ve taken it.
“Kilmarnock will always have a place in my heart and if it wasn’t for them my life could be a lot different.”