 After three years with Crewe where he played in 54 matches and scored 21 goals, Jones transferred to Chorley, the 1896–97 Lancashire League champions, in September 1897.After Chorley could only manage a fifth-place finish in the Lancashire League in 1898, Jones signed for Newton Heath of the Football League Second Division.Jones made his Newton Heath debut in the first fixture of the 1898–99 season, playing in the centre forward position in a 2–0 away win over Gainsborough Trinity on 3 September 1898.