Jones: Promotion expert

Ahead of Burnley’s trip to Preston on Friday, Adam Bate caught up with Clarets midfielder David Jones to find out what the return to his old club means to him and why he’s on course for a fourth promotion to the Premier League…

What makes someone an expert in promotion? Ian Holloway and Mick McCarthy have each taken teams to the Premier League on two occasions. Neil Warnock has led three clubs to the top flight. But there’s a player who can beat that record. David Jones is looking to win his fourth promotion to the Premier League.

The Burnley midfielder isn’t about to trumpet his case. He has not masterminded the club’s campaign, that honour belongs to manager Sean Dyche. But the 31-year-old is clearly doing something right. He knows what a promotion-winning team looks like and fortunately for fans of the Clarets, he recognises a lot of those qualities in the Burnley dressing room.

“The more experienced you are helps,” Jones tells Sky Sports. “I’ve just been lucky to play for some good managers and some good teams. There’s no secret but the common theme I’ve experienced in good teams in the Championship is the spirit in the dressing room. It counts for so much and is probably one of the most important ingredients in this league.”

That spirit was in evidence on Tuesday when the top two met at Turf Moor. With Burnley on the brink of a damaging defeat to Middlesbrough, Michael Keane forced home a late equaliser. The draw means Burnley remain within two points of the leaders but are now level on points with third-placed Brighton. With just three games to go, it was not a game to lose.

“After Middlesbrough scored, we put them under lots of pressure and luckily managed to put one away,” says Jones. “They’re one of our rivals at the top so it was important not to let them gain any more ground on us,” The goal means Burnley still haven’t lost in the league since Boxing Day. “It was important to keep our unbeaten run going too,” he adds.

Jones was on the bench against Boro, only the fourth Championship game he’s missed all season. “I’d have much rather been out on the pitch, but the manager changed a couple of things,” he says. “I’m just looking forward to the next big game because they come around very quickly.” …

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