On the first day of the January transfer window, Brendan Rodgers sent a trio of youngsters to League Two side Cheltenham Town on one month loan deals. Among the trio was the Englishman Lloyd Jones.
The 19-year-old centre back joined Paul Buckle’s side and brought his game to a different level, starting and playing the entire match nearly 48 hours after signing for the Robins in a 2-1 away victory over Oxford United. The two goals in this match were scored by the other two Liverpool players on loan at Cheltenham Town; Jack Dunn and Kevin Stewart.
The goal Cheltenham conceded was partly Jones’ fault as he left his marker open at the back post. However, he was solid the rest of the match with his centre back partner Troy Brown.
A week later, Jones played the full match in a 2-0 away defeat to Hartlepool (currently bottom of the table). Despite the goals conceded, which were not Jones’ fault, he was brilliant for Cheltenham, even though his team’s attackers could not give him time to rest.
Six days later, he played the full match in a 1-1 home draw against Morecambe. The Robins gave away two penalties, but Jones had nothing to do with either of them. The Cheltenham keeper managed to save the first penalty, but not the second.
Eight days later, Jones played the full match in a 1-1 home draw against Luton Town. He helped hold the Hatters to just three shots on goal, which is impressive given that Luton are in the hunt for promotion (currently 4th).
A week later, Jones played the full match in a 3-1 away defeat to Dagenham & Redbridge. For the second goal the Robins conceded, Jones faced Ashley Hemmings in a one-on-one inside the box. Hemmings created enough space to shoot past Jones and score. For the third goal, Jones could have stepped in and double teamed the man on the ball, but he stayed back, allowing the attacker to score.
Since his arrival on 1 January 2015, Jones has started and played the entire 90 minutes for all five games he has been with Cheltenham Town.
On 2 February 2015, Liverpool extended Jones’ stay with the Robins until the end of the season, while Jack Dunn and Kevin Stewart did not earn extensions.
Although Cheltenham Town are just two points above the drop zone, Lloyd Jones is getting better each match. He has helped to keep the Robins out of the drop zone despite how likely it looked they would drop down with their weak defence before he joined.
