PERSONAL INFORMATION

CLUB HISTORY

• Swansea City AFC | 2015 – 2017
• Yeovil Town FC | 2017 (loan)
• Merthyr Town FC | 2017 – 2018
• Nuneaton Borough FC | 2018
• Merthyr Town FC | 2018 (loan)
• Merthyr Town FC | 2018 – 2020
• Aberystwyth Town FC | 2020 – 2022
• Pontypridd United FC | 2022 – 2024
• Haverfordwest County AFC | 2024 – …

INTERVIEW

Introduce yourself…

Owain Jones, 28 years old current semi pro football player at Haverfordwest.

How would you describe your style as a center-forward—are you more of a hold-up striker, poacher, or link-man?

Probably more of a link up player than anything. Like to drop in to pockets when I can, run in behind other times. Not someone who’s going to win arial battles much so try to do everything else.

You joined Swansea City’s academy at a young age — what do you remember most about those early training sessions and making that first leap into professional football?

Yeah I joined when I was 9 so growing up Swansea was all I really knew. It taught me a lot obviously in a football sense but also spending most of your time there as a youngster it also forms you as a person. Signing my pro contract there was obviously a dream come true and not something many get to do while joining an academy at such a young age.

You had a loan spell at Yeovil Town during your time at Swansea — what did you learn from that transition into senior men’s football?

Yeah Yeovil was a tough experience. Honour to make a football league debut but also living away from home and not playing was tough. It taught me how brutal football can be, and to take everything that’s said which a pinch of salt. And also made me try to control what I could control.

You’ve represented several Welsh clubs since — Merthyr Town, Aberystwyth Town, Pontypridd United — how did each stop contribute something unique to your development?

Obviously playing at different places under different managers offers little nuances to learn. Some completely different situations as it comes to where the teams were in tables so different pressures etc make people think about the game differently.

You joined Pontypridd United ahead of their first-ever Cymru Premier campaign — what drew you to that project, and how do you look back on that chapter?

I needed a change of scenery and the group they put together was exciting. Unfortunately things didn’t work out for us due to a lot of off field problems but you can see the successes the players have had since shows how good the squad was.

What made Haverfordwest County feel like the right next step in your journey?

Havywest was completely down to the management. I’d played under the manager and assistant before and they’re great coaches and great people. I’ve learned the majority of my football from them and also big part of how I work is down to them too, so it was easy for me to go there and I’m grateful that the opportunity came.

What advice would you give to younger players in the Cymru Premier looking to follow a path similar to yours?

I think for youngsters coming in to the league now, sometimes it’s underestimated how good the standard is. A high % of players would’ve been pro or scholars at pro clubs at some point in their career so it’s important to work hard earn your chances.

What personal milestones are you targeting next season—for example, goal tallies, assists, or team success?

Personally I just want to continue as I did last year. I contributed to the team and we were very successful. At this point in my career with my injury history I can’t contribute and play as much as I’d like to, but I understand my role to keep standards high within the group and help the youngsters as well.