jacob davidge

WHILE his TNS team mates face Slovan Bratislava in Slovenia tonight, Chris Jones is hoping to earn a return to the Football League despite missing Newport County's weekend friendly at Cirencester with a tight hamstring.

Exiles' boss Justin Edinburgh hopes Jones will play some part either at Weston-super-Mare tonight, Croesyceiliog on Wednesday or against Gloucester City at the weekend.

"We’ll see Chris Jones in the next couple of games and he’ll be the final one we’ll be looking at," Edinburgh says.

The 24-year-old TNS wingman made Football League appearances for Swansea City and Grimsby Town after coming through the ranks at the Liberty Stadium.

After spending time on-loan at Cambridge United, Jones was loaned to his home town club Neath in January 2010 and made an explosive debut, scoring a hat-trick against Porthmadog.

After returning to Blundell Park, where he was transfer-listed, he promptly returned to the Eagles on a permanent basis and scored 14 goals from 71 (+5) Welsh Premier appearances while at The Gnoll.

He became a free agent following Neath's demise and, after an unsuccessful trial at Newport, switched to TNS in July 2012, where he has notched eight goals in 58 starts and two sub appearances.

Jones has represented Wales at Under-21 and Under-23 levels and was voted into the league dream team in 2011 and 2012 but will shortly be out of contract at Park Hall and was omitted from the Saints' Champions League squad.