Joey JONES

 When John Neal realised in Autumn 1982 that his Chelsea side faced the very real prospect of relegation to Division Three he acted swiftly to bring in the experienced Joey Jones for a fee of £34, 000. Jones, a European Cup winner in his time at Liverpool, had spent the previous four years back with his first club Wrexham and many Chelsea supporters questioned the purchase of a man who's team had recently suffered relegation themselves. After an inauspicious start to his Chelsea career, when he was sent-off on his debut at Carlisle, the dissenters' voices grew louder still. However, Jones rose to the challenge and within weeks he had won the fans over with his tenacity and commitment, his willingness to put his head or body in where it hurt being in stark contrast to some of his less committed team-mates. He also established himself as the new hero of the terraces with his pre-match fist-clenching routine, the supporters relishing his passion for the cause as relegation was avoided on the season's penultimate weekend.

John Hollins' return to Chelsea meant there was no place in the starting line-up for Joey at right back as the new season began. However, an injury to Chris Hutchings soon paved the way for him to return to the side on the opposite flank and his impressive performances ensured that he retained his place for the rest of the season as The Blues stormed to promotion. As Chelsea returned to the top flight, Jones' opportunities became more limited but when called upon, particularly during the club's run to the Milk Cup semi-final, he maintained the standard of performance Chelsea followers had come to expect. It was therefore a major disappointment to the fans who had taken this effervescent character to their hearts when one of Hollins' first tasks on taking over the managerial reigns was to offload Joey to Huddersfield Town in August 1985 for £35, 000 - precisely £1,000 more than the Blues had paid Wrexham some three years previously. (Kelvin Barker)