In any conversation about great goal-scorers in local football then old-timers like Kenny Harries, Graham Jenkins, Bernie Armstrong and Steve Summers would be amongst those considered - but also included would be guaranteed to be Paul ‘Jonah’ Jones,
 
He scored the bulk of his goals with Hakin United but he also had other spells with Johnston, West Dragons and Pembroke Borough - and a very short stint with Haverfordwest County.
 

Coming back – at 51, with support from Gina!

 
Now Jonah has decided to have one last throw of football’s dice because, at 51 years of age, he has registered with Solva AFC after over a decade where he has focussed on his love of a pint or two, and 20 fags every other day, to see if he can recapture his uncanny nose for goals which saw him win the ‘’West Wales Guardian’ Cup, awarded annually to the top goal scorer in the first division of the Pembrokeshire League, an amazing TEN times!
 
“I’ve been good pals with Richard Bland since we had some terrific battles in the old days and this season has seen another of Pembrokeshire’s top scorers in Matthew Price join the club after a spell out as coach or manager - and we thought it would be nice to help out the seconds, who are a bit short of players, and just enjoy a last fling in football!
 
“Another reason is that my wife Gina, who is the daughter of well-known player and referee Dean Boswell, is a bit fed up of me hanging around the house on Saturdays and says I need a hobby! “She is a real Johnston girl and I had a short spell as a player and manager at Glebelands but that wasn’t my cup of tea because I just wanted to play football.



 

Great moments with The Vikings

 
Jonah’s goals helped Hakin United to the top of the West Wales’ tree and he is quick to sing the praised of the likes of Chris Tansey, Gary Dawes and Colin Fawcett as managers - and in one season he amassed 79 goals as he helped The Vikings to a string of honours, including plenty of division one titles and Senior Cup Final wins that included a 4-3 victory in a fantastic come-back against old rivals Merlins Bridge at the Bridge Meadow Stadium.
 
“We had clawed our way back to 3-all with a minute left as I chased a long ball over the top and just beat the Bridge keeper to the lightest of touches - but enough to find the net at the clubhouse end to send our supporters wild with delight.
 
“I was captain that day and received the Senior Cup from Eddie Oliver, the league president, who also handed me the match ball as Man of the Match - and boy did we celebrate that night!
 
“I also played in two winning West Wales Cup Finals and scored three goals between them, and I will never forget the friendships at Hakin United in a great team that included Jason ‘Bomber’ Morgan, Karl Rhead, Kristan Bennett, Nigel Armstrong, Adam Collins, Ade Haworth, Paul Chapman, Shaun Mills, Andrew Postlethwaite - plus Gary Dawes and Karl Rhead as great captains. There were other very good players of that time – and I apologise for missing them out!”



 

Fantastic organisation at The Obs

 
Ask Jonah about his time at The Obs and he would be bound to mention the support from Messrs Tansey and Dawes alongside others including Jimmy Yeoman, Greg Dalton, Paddy Wheeler and Daisy Picton.
 
“The club’s youth policy is amazing and the coaches are committed to bringing youngsters into senior football - as we see today when Scott Davies and his first team coaches are giving their chance to a lot of youngsters - but they are still top of the table as the likes of Leon Luby, Jay Power, Cam Thomas and especially Ryan Wilson lead by example, with Ashley Bevan making a welcome return and banging in the goals.”
 

Good and bad experiences in Welsh League football

 
Outside his long time at The Obs he also played two seasons of Welsh League football for Pembroke Borough at London Road, and enjoyed every minute playing with quality players like Chrissie Manning, Pat McQuillan, Steve Callan, Colin Fawcett and Mark Powell - and managed by Peter Fearn and Mike Lewis alongside the great Des Shanklin as chairman, who was respected by everyone in Welsh Football.
 
He also had a short spell with Haverfordwest County, which he describes as the lowest point of his footballing career.

“We trained in Swansea because the rest of the players were from that area and we were never really made to feel welcome - and it was soul-destroying to train and then sit on the bench for 90 minutes in North Wales!
 
“I also joined Mark Delaney at Carmarthen Town for a short while but got fed up with the travelling - so it was back to Hakin for me; a decision I never regretted because that was club since I started junior football with the late, great, Mr Joe Lennon.
 

And finally . . .

 
In 2010 came one of my proudest moments, when I was the only footballer ever to win the ‘Male Sporting Achievement of the Year’ glass trophy, at the Sport Pembrokeshire Annual Awards in Folly Farm, in front of almost 700 people — and announced by my grumpy old English teacher named Mr Carne, who tried hard for three years to show me the joy of poetry when all I ever wanted to do was to be out on the school pitch, kicking a football!”
 
Chris Tansey was a hugely successful Hakin United manager of that time and he told us,
‘Jonah’ deserves to be named amongst the greatest goal-scorers of any era in our county – with a competitive attitude that belied his physique and an amazing desire to score goals. He was also a lovely character and a pleasure to have in my squad.”
 
We could pay Paul Eric Jones no higher tribute but all that’s a long time ago and Jonah is now ready to take on this fresh challenge and we at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk wouldn’t bet against him scoring a few goals once he gets those spindly little legs going again down the slope at Maes y Mor in Solva!