Alfie Jones comes back to familiar surroundings to help Hull haunt Portsmouth

Alfie Jones joined Hull City from Southampton last summer for an undisclosed fee on an initial one-year deal after finding it tricky to break in at the Premier League club.

The Bristol-born player came through the Saints’ academy all the way through the age groups, enjoying lots of success including helping the club’s youngsters earn promotion from Premier League 2 in the 2018-2019 season.

After that success, Jones went out on loan in search of some regular game time which he first found in Scotland at St Mirren where he made 15 first team appearances and helped the Scottish club avoid relegation after winning a two legged play off against Dundee United.

The following season, the 23-year-old was once more loaned out, this time to Gillingham in League One where he went onto make 35 appearances across all competitions before the Gills’ season was cut short due to coronavirus.

Jones then returned to the Saints ahead of pre-season but following the arrival of Mohammed Salisu from Valladolid, he was surplus to requirements and left for the Tigers at the start of September.

He made his debut for the Yorkshire club against Leicester City under 21’s in the EFL Trophy before playing against two Premier League sides, Leeds United and West Ham in the Carabao Cup, his league bow came in a 2-0 win at Northampton at the end of September.

Since then, he has gone to feature 19 times in all competitions and is starting to grow a strong understanding with fellow central defender Jacob Greaves who spent the entirety of last season out on loan at League Two club Cheltenham Town as they narrowly missed out on promotion.

Jones, who is a very versatile player can play in several positions played a pivotal role in his side’s 4-0 win against Portsmouth this afternoon to see the Tigers remain at the top of summit in the third tier and send Pompey down to fourth.

The result will be made all the more special for Jones having spent a lengthily spell at Southampton although he never made a first outing for the club and found regular opportunities tough to come by despite the team’s recent struggles at the bottom of the Premier League.

He has played a number different roles throughout his short professional career to date, including central midfield which was where he mainly featured for Gillingham on his loan last season but it’s a great option for Grant McCann to have at his disposal if needed as the club look to make a return to the Championship.

The Tigers were surprisingly relegated to the third tier last season after picking up just 45 points in the entire campaign, a number they have already matched this season at just the halfway mark.

Despite spending most of his time in midfield at the Gills, he has become more of a central defender and has put in a series of strong displays for the Yorkshire club and will be a key player between now and the end of the season.

The summer signing was impressive this afternoon against Pompey, looking very composed on the ball, as well as being dominant and confident in the air and limited the division’s top scorers to very few openings and you can sense that he has taken his game to another level this season.

His range of passing was evident, constantly playing it when the time was right but also being aware that it wasn’t on every time and clearing his lines when required and continues to be part of a solid Tigers’ backline who have shipped just 20 goals having now reached the halfway point of the season.

Much like his team, he looks ready and well suited to playing at a higher level and given his reputation which he earned coming through the ranks at Southampton and is now finding his feet and seems to have found the perfect fit at Hull City after his couple of loan spells previously.

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