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Ritchie JonesEnglish footballer
Date of Birth: 26.09.1986
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Richie Jones
Richie Jones is an English footballer who primarily plays as a midfielder and prefers to play in the central midfield position. He currently plays for the English football team 'Hartlepool United', having signed a contract with them as a free agent in July 2008 after leaving their club 'Manchester United'.
Career Highlights
During his time at Manchester United, Jones made five appearances for the first team, playing in the FA Cup and League Cup. He also had stints with lower league teams to gain necessary experience to become a better player. He started his league career representing 'Colchester United' and 'Barnsley' in the 2006-2007 season, 'Yeovil Town' in 2007-2008, and also played for Belgian club 'Royal Antwerp' for a month in 2006.
Jones was a member of the Manchester United Academy since the age of nine. He scored the winning goal in the final of the Milk Cup international youth football tournament in 2003, leading his team to victory against 'Preston'. He captained the youth team and won four trophies in 2004-2005 and three in 2005-2006 as a reserve player for Manchester United.
In England, Richie played at every level from Under-15 to Under-20, scoring the decisive goal in the Under-17 final of the Nordic Championship in Sweden. He helped the Under-19 team reach the final of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in July 2005 and served as captain in several of those matches.
Professional Career
Jones made his debut for the Manchester United first team on October 26, 2005, in a League Cup match against 'Barnet'. His emotional appearance on the field was against 'West Bromwich Albion' at Old Trafford, where Richie joined the battle in the last half an hour and came close to scoring a goal in a match dedicated to the recently deceased footballer George Best.
In the 2004-2005 season, Jones played for Manchester United reserves in the Central League and Reserve Premier League, both of which were won by the club. His performances helped the team reach the finals of both competitions. In January 2006, the midfielder was loaned to Manchester United's second division Belgian club 'Royal Antwerp' to gain experience for first-team play. However, he only played two games for 'Antwerp', making appearances in pre-season friendlies against 'Preston North End' and 'Macclesfield Town', brought in as a substitute to assist Wayne Rooney.
In October 2006, Richie played for 'Colchester United' for a month, earning praise from the club's manager, Geraint Williams. Although the player expressed his desire to stay at 'Colchester', he was recalled to Manchester United after the loan period expired. He started the 2007-2008 pre-season with 'Peterborough United' alongside Owen Hargreaves. Jones scored one of the three goals in a 3-1 victory for his team. However, on August 14, 2007, he entered into a deal with 'Yeovil Town' and remained with the club until December 31. He made his debut for 'Yeovil' on August 18 in a match against 'Port Vale', and it was his cross that helped the team score the only winning goal in that game.
On December 28, Jones returned to 'Manchester United' as planned and began the fight for a place in the first team. It was announced that his contract with 'Manchester United' would expire on June 30, 2008. On July 4, Richie signed a deal with 'Hartlepool United' as a free agent.
