The Sunderland youngster was handed his first Championship start by Régis Le Bris against Swansea City
Harrison Jones has detailed the incident that left him bloody against Swansea City in the Championship at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The Sunderland youngster was handed his first league start by head coach Régis Le Bris, taking up a midfield spot alongside Chris Rigg and team captain Dan Neil, meaning all three players in Sunderland’s middle came through the ranks at the Academy of Light.
Though Sunderland lost the game 1-0 to the Swans, the afternoon will always prove memorable for Jones, who was left bloodied in the first half after attempting to meet a Trai Hume cross. The boyhood Black Cats fan had to leave the field for treatment following the incident and returned with a change of shirts.
“It was just one of Trai’s crosses which were being deadly for us this year,” Jones said after the game. “I was trying to get my head on it but just ended up hitting the defender’s elbow which made me start bleeding, but it wasn’t like him elbowing me, it was more just I hit him but like I said, just trying to give everything on the pitch for us. I felt fine, just my nose was bleeding. To be fair, the adrenaline was that much I didn’t really feel anything all game to be fair, but I’ll probably feel it a bit later on.”
Jones, who captains Sunderland’s under-21s side when picked to play for the Black Cats’ youth teams, has been in and around Le Bris’ first team all season. Jones made his first appearance for the club off the bench in the Carabao Cup earlier this season and was handed his first start in the FA Cup against Stoke City in January. As well as starting against Swansea City, Jones has also been handed minutes off the bench against Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday recently.
“I see this week being just a whole year’s worth of effort which has finally allowed me to get on the pitch which I think I’ve deserved to,” Jones said. “Obviously the results haven’t gone our way but yeah I’m really grateful for the opportunity and really proud that I’ve been able to represent Sunderland which is what I’ve been aiming to do for many, many years now.”
“For me, it’s not just sitting on the bench it’s being involved in a first-team changing room, it’s been seeing the level, seeing what the Championship looks like because not many have seen it inside the dressing room,” Jones added after the game when asked about his constant place on Sunderland’s bench this season.
“I’ve learned so much from just being on the bench itself and by doing that it’s allowed me to nurture and become better so when I do play I’m able to fit right in which I’m aiming to do more and more for the rest of the season. It’s quite a young group in general to be fair so it’s really important that those senior lads can help the young ones through because if I’m going to be honest I found it tough but that was one I really enjoyed them they definitely helped me through the process which I’m really really grateful for.”
Asked if he was pinching himself at his first team involvement, Jones said: “It probably hasn’t sunk in yet to be fair, I was just mainly focused on playing well and helping us win which although it didn’t happen there, I’m looking forward to the next one.”
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