Jones ready for old club
Port Vale defender Daniel Jones will be putting sentiment to one-side when Vale hosts his former side Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday (3pm).
The left-back joined Wolves as a nine-year-old and left at the age of 22 to join Sheffield Wednesday on a permanent deal.
A lot has changed since. Jones is now in what he describes as the best form of his career, whilst Wolves have suffered back-to-back relegation since his departure.
Jones told Valiant Player: “They’re here (SkyBet League 1) for a reason, obviously they’ve got great individual talent but obviously they don’t work well as a team.
Jones is still friends with Wolves defender Danny Batth and the Vale left-back is eager to get one over his old teammate.
“It would be nice to get a win against your mates but it’s professional, I have a little bit of banter but there will be more banter after the game.”
Vale suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat at Boundary Park against Oldham Athletic and Jones considers Saturday’s match against Wolves as the perfect setting to return to form.
“It is the right game for us for us to bounce back, especially from what happened on Saturday.
“We’re strong at home, we have got to start bright against them and not let them get settled and knock the ball around like they can do and put them under pressure.
“Hopefully they’ll panic and we can get under their skin a little bit,” he told Valiant Player.
Despite growing up supporting Saturday’s opponents Jones is eager to play down his obvious links to the Midlands club.
Jones said: “It is just Wolves, it is just another game.
“I am a Port Vale player and I will do my best for Port Vale no matter who I play against.
“I look out for them but it’s just another game to me,” Jones explained.
Wolves descended from the Championship as instant favourites for the SkyBet League 1 title but Jones believes Vale have what it takes to exploit their array of attacking options, notably by utilising the size of the Vale Park pitch.
Jones explained: “They will have a go, I can’t see why they wouldn’t (come for the win) they’ve got a very attacking outlet.
“I watched them against Crawley and I thought Crawley should have won to be honest.”
He added: “They’re very open at the back, I think we could exploit spaces and if we play with two wingers we can get at their full-backs.
“If we can deliver balls into the box and put them under pressure the hopefully we can get something out of the game.”