Jones signs for WaiBop

The signing of attacking midfielder Mark Jones was a nobrainer for WaiBop United.

Jones will play a third consecutive ASB Premiership season for the franchise and coach Peter Smith, after making 29 appearances during the previous two summers.

For the second successive winter, Jones has been a star performer for Hamilton Wanderers in the Northern Region Premier Division title-hunt. This year, he has played in his customary attacking wide midfield role, also filled in up front after injuries to Federico Marquez and Michael Built and netted 15 goals to the be the league’s second-top scorer.

Signing on for another summer with WaiBop was a natural move, Jones said.

‘‘We had a good group last season and came so close to making the playoffs, which isn’t something a team from this region has done for a while. I hope I can play a part in helping us take that extra step in what’s shaping up to be a strong league.’’

Smith said Jones’ consistency in previous seasons helped make him one of the team’s best players.

‘‘Mark has played exceptionally well for us in previous seasons and was arguably our most consistent performer, week in, week out, last summer,’’ Smith said.

‘‘He has backed that up with a fantastic season for Wanderers. Mark is maturing into a top-class player who can cause other teams problems and win you games. That’s what we’ll be looking for from him this season.’’

Jones has been a constant problem for rival teams with his tireless running, his dribbling ability and the capacity to finish with either foot while also being an aerial threat.

He’s gradually becoming accustomed to being reagrded as a senior player too.

‘‘I guess that’s right because I’ve been around for a while, but that status also comes with a bit of responsibility and I’m looking forward to it.

‘‘I’ll just go out there and do my thing and look to help the team win games. We all need to be leaders if we’re going to be successful against the likes of Auckland City and Team Wellington.’’