Lights put Leon`s debut out

Not even a Chinese lantern could prevent the match abandonment

Leon Jones made one of the shortest ever Dunfermline debuts in the abandoned Fife derby on Friday evening. The 21 year who was signed earlier this month from Kentucky Wildcats experienced thirteen minutes before an electricity and WiFi failure caused the match to come to a stop. He gave his thoughts on his first appearance for the Pars:-

“It’s disappointing to have the game ended so abruptly but obviously something we can’t control. I’ve never experienced anything like that — and it’s got to be the shortest debut in Scottish football history! It probably doesn’t even count as one.”

The former Hearts youth is correct when he states the record of his debut will be wiped from history although the events of Friday 20th August 2021 will be remembered for years to come. The first Fife Derby to be played in front of fans since January 2019 was one the players were looking forward to just as much as their following:-

“I was really excited for my debut. During the warm-up, you come out and hear the fans and you are just desperate to get going, only for it to get ended early. I couldn’t really believe it when they told us it was off.

“It was a good experience to be out there — no matter how long it was. I thought we had a good start in the game, too. It’s just disappointing that we couldn’t carry it on.”

Jones who was an unused sub at Ibrox the previous Friday had impressed Peter Grant enough to step up after Aaron Comrie was absent due to the happy event of becoming a father. He commented:-

“I’ve really enjoyed training and working under the gaffer and I think, so far, a lot of it has been learning the way he wants us to play. That’s been the biggest thing for me. I’m just looking forward to taking that into a game that finishes!”

Leon’s previous appearances in Scottish football were in two Challenge Cup matches for Hearts Under 20s. Just 18 years of age he scored in the first match, a 3-2 win over Stirling Albion to qualify to play against Elgin City. That cup run was played in a Jambos team that included Dario Zanatta who co-incidentally turned up in direct opposition to him against the Rovers.

The match was especially disappointing for Leon’s family who had made the trip to Kirkcaldy to watch their boy make his Dunfermline debut, he added:-

“My mum, my dad, my sisters and my girlfriend all came over. They travelled all the way from Glasgow and had to trek back after 10 minutes!

“That’s a wee bit disappointing for them — but I’m sure they’ll come to the next scheduled game. The petrol money will be going through the roof.”

So for the Jones` it is a case of ‘can you come back next week?’ when the Pars are at home to Arbroath. Leon expressed his disappointment of having to wait another eight days to try and get the team’s first win of the league season:-

“When you look at our past few results, they haven’t been where they should be and we were all really motivated to come to Stark’s Park and put on a really good performance and get the result we wanted.

“With our next game against Arbroath, that’s the next challenge we look towards. How can we show ourselves properly? Because the last time we played at home we got beat by Partick Thistle. The next opportunity is always your best opportunity to please the fans.”

Some fans both at the match or watching on BBC Scotland might have been somewhat bemused by the name on Leon’s shirt - Lok On. He explained that wasn’t a keyboard instruction:-

“My mum was born in Hong Kong and my Chinese name would be Jones Lok On — Lok On is Chinese for Leon — so I always thought that if I got the opportunity to get a name on the back of my jersey, I would pick that.

“I think that is something that would have made my mum quite proud and my dad wanted me to put Lok On it was well. He quite liked that, so proud for both of them.

“I’m not fluent in Cantonese or Mandarin but I do know a few words — especially the ones my mum uses when she is shouting at me! I need to try to learn a few more though.”

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