'I want...' - Sunderland man sends message to Régis Le Bris after making Championship debut

Sunderland youngster Harrison Jones has sent a classy message to first-team head coach Régis Le Bris.

The Frenchman handed the boyhood Black Cats fan his first appearance for the senior team in the Carabao Cup against Preston North End earlier this season. Le Bris then started the 20-year-old against Stoke City for the first time in the FA Cup at the Stadium of Light in January before handing the player his first Championship minutes off the bench against Sheffield Wednesday recently.

Harrison Jones sends classy message to Le Bris

“I've learned so much from being involved in that environment, first team, changing room,” Jones said when asked about forming part of Le Bris senior group. “All quite young, but they all show experienced heads, because they've all played so many Championship games now, which gives me so much knowledge to learn from.

Jones continued after scoring and assisting against Leeds United in the Premier League 2: “And yeah, just need to keep working hard in training. The gaffers give me chances, which I'm really grateful for, and I just need to keep working hard to hopefully get more. One of my biggest attributes, I'd say, is that I'm able to stay calm in different environments and I need to be able to do that if I want to play in the Championship or elsewhere.”

Harrison Jones was “proud” to play against Sheffield Wednesday

“It's just everything I wanted,” Jones added. “I didn't have many dreams as a kid, but I think now it's just the next level I want to be starting every game now. So, just need to keep working hard in training, keep learning and keep doing well in these games, which are equally as important for me, because these are games I can work on the things I need to before I go up there.”

“I love that game (against Sheffield Wednesday), to be fair. It's so loud, but I loved it. And I think when you do it well, when you do it well, it makes you feel so good after and I'm really proud. Normally, to be fair, my cousin goes to every game, but he was working that night. But normally, he goes to every Sunderland game, but I always try to see him. Ellis, his name, goes to every game. And also, that's my first ever game to be involved in a Sunderland win, so I've lost twice almost, so I really enjoyed being part of the win. I'm just going to keep it day by day, keep working hard, keep enjoying it.”

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“It's my dream. I'm not the most extroverted. I'm just a normal lad. So I'm trying to, I think to be a footballer, you need to be able to stay calm. I think if you're coming to play in front of this hall, you need to be able to deal with 45,000 fans, which sometimes can get on you. So just, I think having a level-headed head is really important. I need to stay really calm because I think when I play calm, that's when I make my best decisions and have the biggest impact on the pitch.”

Dropping down to the U21s to play for Graeme Murty

After the highs of playing for Sunderland in the Championship, dropping back down to the under-21s could be characterised as a little bit of a comedown, though that isn’t the case for Jones.

“First of all, I'm captain of the 21s, so I need to represent myself 100 per cent on and off the pitch,” Jones said when asked about his willingness to play for the youth sides. “I need to be the hardest worker on the pitch and show the level for the other 21s.

Jones continued: “I need to show them that if they want to get the first team, they need to be better and work harder than this guy. So, it's my job to pull them up, which then elevates the whole group. And if I do that, it gives me a better chance to move up.”

Playing as a false nine for Sunderland U21s vs Leeds United

Jones was given the nod as a number nine by Graeme Murty against Leeds United in the Premier League 2 last week, repaying his manager’s faith by scoring one and assisting another.

“I started my career there,” Jones said when asked about playing up front. “So at first, I was a number nine and I just loved scoring goals, and probably as I got older, I've shown a deeper understanding, which then has made me a bit further back. I probably haven't got the outright pace to be a number nine or a winger, which is probably why I normally play in the middle.

“But because I've been at Sunderland for so long, they've taught me so much about every position that I feel comfortable and confident to do well, and which I think I've proved tonight. I've worked on scoring and assisting a lot this year because I think last year I was really good in the middle third, but I think to make it to the next level and really stand out and push for a first-team player somewhere, you need goals and assists and an attacker, and something I've definitely worked on to start in the coming games now.”