Jones stands by Stoke actions

Cardiff City striker Kenwyne Jones has stood by his actions to make himself unavailable for selection while at former club Stoke City.

The Trinidadian reportedly informed manager Mark Hughes via text message that he would be absent for Stoke’s 5-3 home defeat to Liverpool, and was subsequently fined and omitted from the squad for their next fixture.

Jones moved to Cardiff as part of a swap deal that took Peter Odemwingie in the opposite direction last month, and made an immediate impact in scoring the winner against Norwich City on his debut .

Looking back on the incident that preceded his Britannia Stadium departure, Jones has few regrets over what happened.

“Nobody from the club (Stoke) can say I was a miscreant, disrespectful or even on strike as they would like to put it,” he told The South Wales Evening Post.

“The main reason (for the stand) was for my voice to be heard because they didn’t want to pay attention to me. That’s all I needed.

“I didn’t want to disrupt the squad, disrespect the manager or anything.

“Clubs have to come out, say what they have to and keep fans onside. I have no problem with that. My thing is I am happy. In the end I got heard and I am here in Cardiff now.

“I made the decision to sign for Cardiff because I want to play football.

“It was nothing to do with money or status. I wanted to play and wasn’t getting a chance (at Stoke).

“At my age I am supposed to be enjoying my football. When the chance came along to sign for Cardiff I made a decision to come down.”