Everyone at Bristol Rovers was sorry to learn of the death of former player Bobby Jones yesterday and we send our condolences to his family and friends.
ROBERT STANLEY JONES
b 28.10.1938 Bristol d 22.7.2015 Bristol
5’ 8”; 10 st 12 lbs Forward
Début: 2.11.57 v Middlesbrough
Career: Soundwell; May 1956 Bristol Rovers; 27.9.66 Northampton Town (£17,000) [18,1]; February 1967 Swindon Town [11,0]; 25.8.67 Bristol Rovers (£8,000) [410+11,101]; 11.8.73 Minehead; 1977 Paulton Rovers (player-manager); November 1979 Bath City (assistant manager); January 1980 Bristol Rovers (youth coach); 13.5.82 Bath City (manager); 1988 Forest Green Rovers; 1991 Mangotsfield United (manager); January 1994 Yate Town (manager); 2.2.95 Oldland (manager) (resigned, 30.7.97).
Brian Clough was in the opposition in November 1957 when teenage débutant Bobby Jones scored after two minutes and added a second goal in Rovers’ 5-0 victory over Middlesbrough at an ecstatic Eastville.
A new hero had been uncovered, a fast direct forward who was to score over 100 League goals for the club. A cousin of Joe Davis, his mother Violet Davis, who married Fred Jones in 1936, being a sister of Joseph Davis senior, he had represented the Suburban League against the Downs League in 1955.
Only eight men have played in more League games for Rovers, only four scoring more goals, whilst Jones, with a gap just five days short of 15 years between his first and last Rovers games, has the fourth longest League career with Rovers and is one of only nine players to have appeared in the Football League in three separate decades for the club.
Two goals against Newcastle will stand in the memory for many years to come, Rovers defeating their illustrious opponents 2-1 in a September 1970 League Cup tie at Eastville. Three more, plus a disallowed strike, illuminated a 3-1 victory over Oxford United in September 1965.
Jones had also scored twice in a memorable 4-3 victory over Liverpool over Easter 1961 and two more goals four days later as Norwich were defeated at Eastville. In 1964 and again in 1972, he was awarded the
Harry Bamford Memorial Trophy for Sportsmanship; he was also awarded a testimonial game against West Ham in 1973.
Enticed away from Eastville, he scored just one goal, for Northampton, against Bristol City, but then scored in Rovers’ exciting 5-4 victory at Northampton in October 1967.
A Minehead début against Crawley Town in August 1973 led to the veteran forward claiming 16 goals in 101 games in all competitions, before winning the Gola League Manager of the Month award with Bath City in
March 1987 and leading the Romans to promotion to the Conference.
Married to Sandra Davies, his former Rovers team mate Len Drake serving as best man, and with two sons, Mark and Neil, Bobby Jones lived in Kingswood for many years.