Doncaster Rovers boss full of praise for keeper Louis Jones as he returns to the side

Richie Wellens praised the effort of goalkeeper Louis Jones as he fought for a return to the Doncaster Rovers side in Saturday’s draw with Lincoln City.
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Jones made his first league start of the season due to illness to Pontus Dahlberg and produced arguably his most assured performance at senior level to date as he kept a clean sheet against the Imps.

Wellens said the Thorne-born keeper has been excellent in training in recent weeks and was complimentary about his progress with distribution in particular.

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“When the goalkeeper has the ball, you see the top keepers assess the situation, scan what is on, put it down and do it with a purpose,” the Rovers boss said.

Louis Jones was excellent on his return to the side against Lincoln City. Picture: Howard Roe/AHPIXLouis Jones was excellent on his return to the side against Lincoln City. Picture: Howard Roe/AHPIX
Louis Jones was excellent on his return to the side against Lincoln City. Picture: Howard Roe/AHPIX

“If you’re a goalkeeper that puts it down and you’re hesitating, it spreads nerves. If you’re hesitant, you’re passing that hesitancy onto whoever is receiving the ball.

“For Louis, it was bang, he played and he spread the confidence around.

“He’s still got a lot to improve. He’s still got so much growth and development to come.

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“I was just really pleased he got the clean sheet because he deserved it - not just for his performance but for the way he’s trained over the last three or four weeks.

“It’s big for his confidence.

“Mental thinking is a huge part of football.”

Jones was Rovers’ first choice keeper throughout pre-season but Dahlberg was brought in on the eve of the campaign and had started every league game prior to his illness at the weekend.

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