We look at why the 2016/17 campaign is very important for Alex starlet James Jones
Crewe`s squad numbers were released yesterday and, while a lot of the numbers remained unchanged, one notable change was James Jones moving from number 20 to number 8.
This means that Jones will almost certainly be first choice for the 2016/17 campaign. That means this will be a big season for the 20-year-old Scot and, if he can perform well, the Alex will have a very good chance at bouncing back from relegation at the first attempt.
To improve further he needs to add one more thing to his game: goals. Davis will be hoping he can emulate Luke Murphy`s goal tally of 17 in his final two seasons at the club, having only managed 8 beforehand. Jones has only one goal in 55 appearances for the Alex – if he wants to play at a higher level he needs to score more than that.
If he can score more goals, it will also hugely benefit Crewe this season. A lot of the goals Crewe scored last season have left the club, including top scorer Brad Inman. The club have brought in Ryan Lowe and Chris Dagnall to help thus situation, but they cannot do it all by themselves. They need contributions from Jones and the other midfielders (who scored just three goals between them last season) to average more than a goal-a-game, as they did last season.
At the moment it is a very young Alex midfield. Aside from Jones there is only Billy Bingham and newly signed Newcastle loanee Liam Smith to call on in the central midfield department. The Alex boss has said he is looking for another central midfielder, and there is no doubt one is needed. An experienced central midfielder can give valuable experience to Jones and the other central midfielders.
There is also no doubt Jones has the potential to go very far. He has become stronger whilst at Crewe and, as Steve Davis said, he can “protect the ball and move it quickly”. He needs to become more creative and get in the box more often next season. Then he may be able to fill Inman`s shoes and score the goals that Brad did last season. Crewe need Jones to perform and Jones needs to perform if he wants a move to a higher division.