Squad Profiles - Senior

By Martin Harris

THE DISCOVERY of Steve Jones was undoubtedly one of the success stories of Sammy McIlroy's tenure as Northern Ireland boss.

Drafted into the 'B' squad for a May 2003 friendly with Scotland Future the flame-haired striker ensured instant stardom when he managed to provide what was that rarest of commodities - a goal.

The elusive strike arrived 57 minutes into the Scotland Future v Northern reland 'B' game at Firhill Park on May 20, 2003 earning Jones nearly as many headlines had it done if he'd found the net for the senior side.

Even though it was his first appearance in a Northern Ireland shirt he is no stranger to international football after representing the England Semi-Professional side while at Leigh RMI.

His career has taken a while to get going. He was on the books of Blackpool and Bury but never made the breakthrough electing instead to try his luck with Sligo Rovers and then Bray Wanderers.

While playing in the League of Ireland he attracted the attention of Chorley Town and a gateway back into the English game. From there he went to Leigh RMI and proved to be something of a sensation for them in the Conference.

Then Dario Gradi and Crewe Alexandra came calling but a stuttering start saw him loaned out to Rochdale for a spell. This seemed to give him the jolt he needed and when Crewe recalled him he proceeded to repay their faith in him with an abundance of goals.

Then in May of last year Jones signed a three-year contract with Championship side Burnley - and joined up with fellow internationals Michael Duff and Kyle Lafferty.

Jones has gone from strength to strength since he joined the Northern Ireland set-up, a constant danger to defences across Europe with his pace and versatility which allows him to play on either wing.