Jones' Indian summer in Llanelli

Former Wales international Matthew Jones has been reflecting on a remarkable season for Llanelli AFC and his own return to football which he says has enabled him to find contentment again.

Back problem
Jones helped the west Wales club lift their first major honours in their 112-year history, the Welsh Premier League and the Welsh League Cup. They came at the end of a long and arduous season – it actually began on 24 June 2007 in the UEFA Intertoto Cup – in which him dust off his boots again after a serious back problem forced him to call time on his professional career at the age of 24.

Two trophies
Llanelli could have ended up with four trophies as they also lost in the finals of the FAW Premier Cup and Welsh Cup and while that was an obvious disappointment for Jones and his team-mates, the 27-year-old former Leeds United AFC and Leicester City FC midfielder has good reason to feel pleased with life as he reflects on his achievements.

Happy again
"I can't explain how much of a difference playing again has made," said Jones, who earned 13 caps for Wales. "I'm 100 per cent happier. Being active and training every day, and doing something I love, means I'm back to being a bubbly person. There have been times when I've struggled to complete 90 minutes, but it really couldn't have gone any better. And it means so much to help make history at my hometown club."

Specialist go-ahead
Jones now has Llanelli's qualifying campaign in the UEFA Champions League to look forward to in the summer though his participation depends on him getting the all-clear from orthopaedic specialists. Assuming scans on his back reveal no further damage, Jones will want to be a part of the club's first foray into Europe's top club competition. "Originally I was looking no further than this season," he added. "But I'm loving it, and I want to play a lot more."