When Jodi Jones joined Notts County on loan from Oxford United in January 2023, nobody really knew what to expect.

Jones’ career had been totally derailed by countless injuries, but Notts were willing to take a gamble on the former Coventry City man.

Fast-forward 18 months and Jones is the reigning EFL and PFA League Two Player of The Season and boasts a record that betters the efforts of both Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.

With Jones now one of the most feared players in the lower leagues, Notts’ gamble has turned into an incredible investment and one of the biggest bargains in the club’s recent history.

Injuries hampered Jodi Jones at Coventry

After coming through the youth ranks at Dagenham and Redbridge, Jones made his debut for the East London outfit as a 17-year-old, becoming the youngest player in the club’s history when he came off the bench against Portsmouth on 10th February 2015.

A year later, he made the switch to Coventry City, then in League One, on an emergency loan deal which was made permanent with a four-year-deal at the end of the 2015/16 season.

The youngster made 34 League One appearances in 2016/17 as the Sky Blues were relegated to League Two.

With Coventry entering the Football League’s basement division for the first time since 1959, Jones enjoyed a bright start to the 2017/18 season, scoring a hat-trick against Notts in a 3-0 win on the opening day.

With five goals and four assists from 19 League Two appearances, Jones’ career was starting to take off when his first ACL injury ruled him out for the remainder of the 2017/18 season.

This sparked a horrific run which saw him pick up three ACL injuries in the space of three years, two to his left knee and one to his right.

He left Coventry in the summer of 2022, having played just 15 times in the space of four years.

The winger was then picked up by Oxford, but featured only eight times for Karl Robinson’s side until Notts took a gamble on him in January 2023.

Notts move has revitalised Jones

Ever since Jones joined Notts, his fortunes have turned on their head.

His run of over five years without a start in league football (since his first ACL injury) came to a close and Jones produced for Notts when it mattered most, netting his first goal in 1662 days in the 120th minute of Notts’ National League play-off semi-final against Boreham Wood to send The Magpies to Wembley.

A week later, he converted his penalty in the shootout as Notts defeated Chesterfield to earn themselves a return to the Football League.

Jones made the switch to Meadow Lane permanent that summer, signing a two-year deal, and then enjoyed one of the best individual seasons League Two has ever seen.

With 24 assists in the league, Jones broke the all-time assists record for a single season in English football, surpassing both De Bruyne and Henry.

He also added goals to his game, with six strikes in the league and was named both EFL and PFA Player of The Season, as well as being named in the League Two Team of The Season.

Perhaps most importantly for The Magpies, the Malta international’s injury record has been remarkably different since arriving in Nottingham. He featured 18 times for Notts in 2022/23 following his January move, before making 43 appearances last term, a tally higher than his previous five seasons combined.

And while Notts chose to gamble on his injury record, Jones was also humble enough to take the gamble of dropping down into the National League in order to re-establish himself and begin to re-build his career.

Jones’ efforts last season should’ve counted for something. The Magpies likely would’ve been in contention for at least a playoff place had their defence not struggled as much as it did.

Out of contract at the end of the season, it’s not impossible that Jones extends his stay at Meadow Lane, especially if Notts achieve their aim of promotion back into League One after 10 years away. Either way, with a return of 30 goal contributions from left wing-back, and likely countless more this season, Notts’ gamble has proved to be nothing short of a steal.

With Jones starting the season in unsurprisingly menacing form, it looks like being another impressive season for the Notts left wing-back, and with every goal and every assist, that gamble is becoming more and more valuable.