Biography
Jason Perry was an experienced centre half signed in the early weeks of Warren Joyce’s tenure as City manager, hired to lift the Tigers from the foot of the Football League after the messy legacy left by Mark Hateley. Perry debuted in December 1998 alongside another defensive signing Jon Whitney, but as the season of horrors turned into the legendary “Great Escape” Jason’s role was limited by an injury sustained in January 1999. He recovered to play in four of the last five league games, by then the escape had been completed.
Perry stayed on the Tigers’ payroll for two further seasons although his exposure to first team action was modest. In the 1999/00 season he started the first game of the season at Exeter City but was then limited to only two further starts in the Associate Members’ Cup. When Brian Little took over the reins at City for the 2000/01 season he gave Perry a run in the first team during October and November 2000, but that came to an end after a humiliating FA Cup defeat against non-league Kettering Town. Jason left the club in the 2001 close season.
Jason Perry was born in Caerphilly in South Wales and came through the ranks at Cardiff City, helping the youth side win the 1985/86 Welsh FA Youth Cup before joining the Bluebirds’ Youth Training Scheme in July 1986. In March 1987, two days before his 17th birthday, Jason made his first team debut for Cardiff City against Exeter City and the following month he was part of the eleven that again lifted the Welsh FA Youth Cup. Perry played in a handful of first team games at the start of the 1987/88 season, mostly at right back, before an ankle injury sidelined him – he signed professional forms for the first time shortly after those appearances. He remained on the first team sidelines until October 1988 when he was a substitute in a European Cup Winners Cup tie against Derry City, six days later he started a League Cup tie against Queens Park Rangers.
At the start of the 1989/90 season Jason finally held down a regular first team place as the Bluebirds were relegated to Division Four. He remained a first team fixture for seven further seasons, scoring his first senior goal against Carlisle United in September 1992 and helping Cardiff lift the League Division 3 title in May 1993 – Perry captained Cardiff from 1993 onwards and also won two Welsh Cup winners’ medals in 1992 and 1993. In January 1994 Perry was part of the starting eleven that reached the Fifth Round of the FA Cup after defeating top flight side Manchester City. The Bluebirds returned to the fourth tier in May 1995 and Perry missed the second half of the 1995/96 season with a calf injury. He returned for the 1996/97 season and helped the side reach the League Division 3 play-offs, playing in both semi-final ties as Cardiff were edged out by Northampton Town. The second leg against Northampton in May 1997 was Jason’s last appearance for Cardiff City, he scored five goals in 340 senior appearances for the club over eleven seasons.
Handed a free transfer by Cardiff, Jason joined League Division 2 side Bristol Rovers in July 1997 and made 32 appearances in his only season for The Gas. In July 1998 he switched to League Division 2 side Lincoln City and made 15 appearances for the Imps ahead of his transfer to Hull City in December 1998.
In June 2001 Perry joined Southern League Premier League side Newport County and for two seasons he combined playing with coaching duties. He completed his playing career at Cwmbran Town between 2003 and 2005, making 55 appearances in two seasons. Perry subsequently found work as a Radio Wales pundit and worked as a college lecturer in Bridgend.
Perry won international honours for Wales at schoolboy and in February 1987 he was called up to the Wales Under-18 squad competing in the European Youth Championship qualifying tournament – a knee injury delayed his debut until October 1987 when he played against Norway and Scotland. He played three times for Wales Under-21s against Poland in May 1990, England in December 1990 and Poland again in May 1991. In March 1994 Perry won his only Wales senior international cap against Norway.
Details
Nationality: Wales
Date/Place of Birth: 2 April 1970, Caerphilly
Hull City First Game: 19 December 1998, Swansea City H (League Division 3), 28 years, 261 days old
Hull City Final Game: 28 November 2000, Kettering Town H (FA Cup First Round Replay), 30 years, 240 days old
Clubs
Cardiff City (1986-1997), Bristol Rovers (1997-1998), Lincoln City (1998), Hull City (1998-2001), Newport County (2001-2003), Cwmbran Town (2003-2005)
Hull City Record
Career: 21 apps, 0 goals
Jason Perry| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998/99 | 7 (1) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 1999/00 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 2000/01 | 6 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |