Bradford City supporters will echo Phil Parkinson’s verdict on 2012 masterstroke: View | OneFootball

The former Bradford City midfielder was a masterstroke signing by Phil Parkinson and is regarded as a legend by Bantam supporters for these reasons.

Key Takeaways

While Phil Parkinson is currently on an exciting journey up the EFL pyramid with Hollywood darlings Wrexham FC, the ex-Reading captain was once pulling up trees with Bradford City.

One key signing to Parkinson's success during his years managing the Bantams was bringing in the experienced midfielder Gary Jones to captain the club following the conclusion of his eight-year contract at Rochdale.

As the current season is in full swing and the transfer window has just closed for clubs in the EFL, let’s look further at the signing of Jones and how the player became a legend in just under 100 appearances for the club.

Gary Jones quickly became a fan-favourite for his hard-working mentality

When Gary Jones was released from the Bantams at the age of 36, the club's manager at the time, Parkinson, was quoted by the BBC as saying: "I cannot speak highly enough of him both as a person and as a football player." This is a glowing reference from any former boss that everyone would want to hear.

But let's start with when the midfielder joined the club. Much as Graham Alexander planned this current season over the summer, Jones was brought in before the 2012-2013 season for his experience of success after captaining Rochdale to a Wembley Sky Bet League Two play-off final and helping the club to promotion in 2010.

However, supporters could have seen Jones at the club the season before as the player commented upon joining the club: "I came here last year, but the Rochdale manager persuaded me to stay. I didn’t think it was the right time to leave then."

Jones further added: " But I met Phil Parkinson a few weeks ago and was really impressed by him. I’ve played here a lot of times. It’s a great club, and I can’t wait to get started."

When Jones eventually joined the club, he quickly established himself as a fan favourite. Supporters liked the midfielder for his passion, hard-working nature, and, most importantly, his leadership on and off the field.

Known as the ultimate professional, Jones helped the players around them to raise their game and even managed to showcase his ability with some glorious wins over Premier League opposition in the cup while also leading the club to its last promotion.

Gary Jones captained Bradford City to League Cup success and League Two promotion

There is no doubt that Bradford City's story is arguably the most incredible in the history of the League Cup, also known as the Carabao Cup.

Making the final of a major national cup competition is something which, maybe unsurprisingly, doesn’t happen much for Sky Bet League Two clubs. That is understandable due to the size of the clubs in the latter stages of the competition.

Despite a heavy loss to Swansea City, who were, at the time, an entertaining Premier League club with Michu leading the line and Michael Laundrup in the dugout, meaning that getting to the final was an achievement for the Bantams.

Wins over Arsenal at Valley Parade and winning the tie over two legs against Aston Villa were great nights that supporters would never forget, and it's thanks to the likes of Gary Jones, to name an important player in that squad, these nights were so special.

Ultimately, beating Northampton Town 3-0 in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final at Wembley with ease was the icing on the cake during Jones's spell at the club, and supporters were sad to see the player leave the club after one year in Sky Bet League One.

Signings like Jones are why supporters are so excited about transfer windows and the unknown future of how these players can develop and become special parts of a club's history.

Although Jones only played for two seasons at the club, he is a legend for his important impact on and off the pitch. That is why Phil Parkinson had nothing but glowing comments about the player upon his departure from the club. Supporters will be hopeful that similar signings like Antoni Sarcevic can make a similar impression as Jones this season.