Ray Jones (footballer born 1988)

Ray Jones

Jones playing for Queens Park Rangers
Personal information
Full name	Raymond Barry Bankote Jones
Date of birth	(1988-08-28)28 August 1988
Place of birth	East Ham, London, England
Date of death	25 August 2007(2007-08-25) (aged 18)
Place of death	East Ham, London, England
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
0000–2006	Queens Park Rangers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2007	Queens Park Rangers	33	(5)
Total		33	(5)
National team
2006	England U19	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Raymond Barry Bankote "Ray" Jones (28 August 1988 – 25 August 2007) was an English professional footballer who played as a striker. He was known as one of the best young players in English football outside the Premier League. Jones spent his professional career at Queens Park Rangers, making his debut in the Football League Championship in April 2006. His good form at the start of the following season led to his only international match, for England under-19 against the Netherlands, as well as bids for other clubs to sign him. He totalled six goals in 37 professional matches.

Jones died three days before his 19th birthday, when he drove head-on into a bus in London. His club retired his shirt number of 31. An inquest into the accident ruled that had Jones survived, he would have faced charges of death by dangerous driving for the deaths of his two passengers.

Born in East Ham, London, Jones was rejected as a youth team player at Colchester United before impressing the coaches at Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He made his professional debut on 22 April 2006, coming on for the final seven minutes as a substitute for Steve Lomas in a 1–2 home loss to promotion-chasing Watford. Eight days later, he made his only other appearance of the season, coming on for Stefan Bailey in the 68th minute of a defeat by the same score away to the already-crowned winners of the Football League Championship, Reading.