Carlisle United are delighted to confirm that midfielder Mike Jones has verbally accepted the offer of a new one-year deal (with a review) which keeps him at Brunton Park until the summer of 2020.
Jones, 31, scored once in his 24 appearances for the Blues last season and has made a total of 114 appearances in his three seasons with the club so far.
Director of football David Holdsworth said: “Mike is currently on holiday but we’ve kept in touch and I’m delighted that we’ve secured his services for next season.
“He’s an excellent professional and a good person, and he’s really bought into the club and the way we do things. He knows the club well, he understands the DNA we’re trying to create and he wants to be part of it. He’s a great signing for us.”
Speaking tonight, Jones said: “I’m pleased to have got this done because it feels like I have unfinished business. I came to the club to get promoted and we still haven’t done that yet.
“I’ve enjoyed my time working under the gaffer, I like the style of play he wants to introduce and I like the intensity he demands from us, both in training and on a match day.”
“The only reason it’s taken so long to get to this stage is for personal reasons,” he added. “There was only ever going to be one outcome because I have a real affection for the club, and the relationship I have with the fans is fantastic.
“I feel very much at home at Brunton Park and the backing I get from the supporters and the staff is very much appreciated. I’m looking forward to getting back for pre-season and to getting ready for what I’m sure will be a successful season.”
The popular and hard-working midfielder initially joined the club on a two-year deal in the summer of 2016. He activated a trigger which kept him at the club last season and was offered a new contract by boss Steven Pressley when the 2018/19 campaign drew to a close.
He came through the ranks at his hometown club of Tranmere and signed a professional contract with them in 2006. A loan spell with Shrewsbury preceded a permanent move to Bury where he made over 150 appearances in just over three-and-a-half years.
He signed for Sheffield Wednesday in the January 2012 transfer window and made the move south to Crawley in August that year for a very successful two-year stay.
He joined the Latics in June 2014 and scored ten goals in his 86 appearances at Boundary Park, before moving north to sign for the Cumbrians.
We’ll have more reaction from Mike Jones when he returns from holiday next week.