Dartford forward Callum Jones has revealed the reasons behind his incredible work ethic.
The 24-year-old leaves nothing to chance on the pitch as his constant running and determination makes him a big fans’ favourite at Princes Park.
Jones puts it all down to the time he spent out of the game, both at Colchester and Chelmsford, with long-term ankle injuries.
“It’s just enjoyment,” said Jones. “I had a lot of injuries when I was younger, when I couldn’t play. I missed years of football.
“I had a lot at Colchester and then when I was at Chelmsford, I had big injuries. So now I’m lucky.
“I’m lucky to play. I can’t complain about having to run back or track back or make a tackle. You know, I’m lucky I’m playing.
“That’s the main thing. I’ve missed a year with one, nine months with another. I’ve had ankle operations, I’ve had all sorts. I’ve had them operated on and then they’ve broken again.
“Now I’m lucky and fortunate I can still play so I can’t complain about running about and making tackles.”
Most forwards will be content on scoring goals or providing assists. But there’s so much more to Jones’ game and it’s a role that he relishes.
“I think 90 per cent of my work probably will be without maybe sometimes going towards the goal,” he reflected.
“It’ll be either putting it in for others or creating for someone else. Obviously, everyone wants to score. That’s the main thing. If I could score every game, I would.
“But I also understand that there’s more to it than just a goal. There’s so much more that can benefit the team by using myself in different areas to help others and ultimately the team. That’s the main thing.”
Jones has certainly found a home at Dartford, where he’s playing the best football of his career to date.
He took his tally for the season to 11 goals with a confident penalty in the 2-0 home win over Hashtag United last weekend.
“The goals and the assists will come and the performances will come,” added Jones.
“I put pressure on myself anyway, so I don’t need to set a target. But I know if I do enough each game, then we’ve got a good chance of winning.
“It’s probably the most I’ve enjoyed my football. I’m playing a lot of minutes, which is the main thing. The manager trusts me and he’s been good. He knows exactly what makes things work for me and for the others.
“He knows how to deal with me and others individually, which has made us feel wanted straight away. And throughout the whole season, everyone wants to win, obviously for themselves, for the team, but also for him because he’s put so much trust in us.”
Jones has enjoyed a fruitful partnership alongside Olly Box.
The young academy product is just ahead of Jones on the goalscoring stakes but they bring the best out of each other.
“We both work with each other well,” said Jones. “I know his strengths. He knows mine. And we both want each other to do well.
“I got a goal on Saturday and so did he, but if I didn’t get one and we won I’d be just as happy and it’d be exactly the same for him.
“As long as we win, we’re both just as happy. He set me up the other day where he could have shot and he might have got another one but it doesn’t matter who scores most.
“The main thing is we keep pushing each other and Eddie Dsane’s right with us as well.
“But I think the whole season there’s been loads of scorers, everyone’s putting their bit in. It’s not just relying on two or three people. Everyone across the board has scored and created goals for each other.”
There’s 12 games left for Dartford as they battle for an immediate return to National League South.
They might be on a 20-game unbeaten run but Jones knows that the season effectively starts now, with a trip to lowly Hendon this Saturday.
“I think the manager’s been pretty good with us in the sense that it is just the next game,” stated Jones.
“You can see how tight the table is. If we have a bad result, another team wins, it all can change.
“You can change three or four positions in the table so the main thing is it’s just the next game and go from there. It’s still so long to go and we’ve been on a really good run.
“The other teams could be on a good run that could push them up the table as well.
“There’s 12 games left now so that’s a lot of points. We know it’s not going to be easy. Obviously, there’s a lot of teams in it. We’ve just got to keep doing our own thing and hopefully, we’ll be there at the end of the season.”
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