Former Hartlepool United defender Dan Jones has signed for National League North side Spennymoor Town.
The versatile 30-year-old, who can play left-back or centre-back, has been without a club since leaving League Two side Port Vale at the end of last season. Meanwhile, Graeme Lee’s side has been looking for reinforcements on the left side of their defence, and they were rumored to be interested in former Pools player David Ferguson before he signed with Gateshead.
Jones spent four years in Sunderland’s academy before receiving professional terms from Pools in 2013. The defender had to wait two months before making his first-team debut due to a meniscus rupture in his knee, and it wasn’t until March 2014 that he made his senior debut, coming on as a 65th-minute replacement in a 4-2 home defeat to Mansfield. Jones signed a new contract two months later and continued to grow, but he never established himself as a regular in the Pools first team. He made 23 appearances in the club’s remarkable ‘great escape’ from relegation in the 2014/15 season, but fell out of favour under Craig Hignett and was let go in 2016.
Jones has now gone on to have a successful career in both the Football League and the National League, despite multiple significant injuries that have impeded his progress. During a successful tenure at Barrow, he made 78 appearances and was selected to the National League team of the season in the 2018/19 season, while he has previously played for Harrogate and Port Vale, where he made over 50 Football League games. Jones spent his second season on loan at Gateshead International Stadium, where he played 23 games.
“It’s no secret that we’ve been looking for someone in that area of the pitch, and being able to bring in a player of Dan’s caliber is a huge help for us.
“He’s got good pedigree, lots of experience at a higher level and is a committed and determined defender so we’re confident he will strengthen us going into the season.” Overall, I’m pleased with the recruitment during the summer; we were able to preserve the core of our squad while adding some new faces, so we’re eager to get started.”
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