Biography
Youthful attacking midfielder Jon French joined the Tigers in July 1998 after being released by Bristol Rovers. He was selected in wide positions by manager Mark Hateley but struggled to establish himself in the first XI due to untimely injuries. When Hateley was sacked in November 1998 and Warren Joyce took over, French slid rapidly down the pecking order and started only three more games during the remainder of the season. Consigned to City’s Reserves for the entirety of the 1999/00 season, French played just once in the first team when he came on as substitute in a December 1999 Associate Members’ Cup tie at York City. He left the club in the 2000 close season.
Jonathan Charles French was born in Bristol and grew up in Keynsham before joining League Division 2 side Bristol Rovers on apprentice terms in August 1992. After playing for the Reserves for three years in a variety of positions, Jon signed his first full professional contract in August 1995 and made his Gas first team debut as a striker against Peterborough United in November 1995, scoring his first senior goal three days later in a 3-0 Football League Trophy win over Cambridge United. All looked rosy when he added a first League goal in March 1996 at Crewe Alexandra, but over the next two years he struggled to gain a foothold in the Rovers first team. In March 1997 he joined Conference side Bath City on a two month loan then spent a further disappointing 1997/98 season with the Gas before leaving the club in June 1998 to join Hull City. In six years with the club he scored two goals in 24 first team appearances for Bristol Rovers.
French joined Barry Town in July 2000 and was a regular starter at Jenner Park for three seasons as The Linnets dominated the Welsh League and competed in European club competitions. In the 2000/01 season French played in both legs of a UEFA Cup tie against Boavista, which the Portuguese side won 5-0 on aggregate, and later lifted the Welsh Cup at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground after a 2-0 win over Total Network Solutions. In 2002 Barry again won the League and Cup double, with French scoring the opener in a 4-1 Cup Final demolition of Bangor City played at Park Avenue in Aberystwyth. This came after Barry Town competed in the European Cup and despatched the Azerbaijani side Shamkir 3-0 on aggregate, French scoring the first in a 2-0 first leg win at Jenner Park. Barry then came up against the mighty Portuguese side FC Porto, and after a 0-8 schooling in Porto the Welsh side memorably won the reverse fixture 3-1, with French starting both games. Barry again dominated the domestic scene in the 2002/03 season, winning the League and Cup double for a third consecutive year and losing to the Latvians of Skonto Riga in the European Cup. In the summer of 2003 the cost of Barry Town’s successes had mounted up, the recruitment of John Fashanu as club figurehead had not attracted the hoped-for investment and the club went into receivership, meaning French had to leave the fallen Welsh leviathans.
French spent three seasons playing for National League South side Weston-Super-Mare then in the summer of 2006 he switched to Southern League side Mangotsfield United. Jon spent the 2008/09 season at Southern League side Paulton Rovers then disappeared from the scene, emerging again briefly in 2012 when he played games for Shepton Mallet FC, who were managed by his former Paulton team-mate Andy Jones.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 25 September 1976, Bristol
Hull City First Game: 8 August 1998, Rotherham United A (League Division 3), 21 years, 317 days old
Hull City Final Game: 7 December 1999, York City A (Associate Members’ Cup First Round), 23 years, 73 days old
Clubs
Bristol Rovers (1994-1998), Hull City (1998-2000), Barry Town (2000-2003), Weston-Super-Mare (2003-2006), Mangotsfield United (2006-2008), Paulton Rovers (2008-2009), Shepton Mallet (2012)
Hull City Record
Career: 21 apps, 0 goals
Jon French| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998/99 | 9 (6) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | – | – | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 1999/00 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 (1) | 0 |