Whatever happened to... Jason Price?

Former Swansea wide-man went on to forge a successful career at a number of clubs.

First thing is first. I was looking forward to making a 'JJ "The artist formerly known as Jason" Price' joke given his change in moniker after he left Swansea - however it appears given his advancing year's he's reverted back to sensible old Jason. I guess they don't go in much for flashy names at Prestatyn Town, where Pontypridd-born Price is currently playing his football. Thirty-six next month, Prestatyn is, remarkably, his 15th club in his 18th season as a footballer.

Jason Price in action for Swansea

Now, I'm sure I'm not alone in remembering Jason Price as a gangly wide-midfielder, who was always short of an end product. I'm sure too, that others remember him for being possibly the only Swansea player of the late 90's to sport a stubby pineapple-esque dreadlock hairstyle - but to focus on these things would be, while funny, disrespectful as despite his lack of technique, Jason always worked hard up and down the flank, and chipped in with some important goals for us. I'll never forget as a kid on the North Bank, seeing Jason go down the right channel to the corner flag, then back to the corner of the penalty area, then back to the corner flag, and then back to the corner of the penalty area before swinging his left (weaker) foot at the ball from 25 yards. I'd imagine most fans, myself included, expected nothing more than for Price to fall over and for the opposition to break away, however what actually happened was the ball left Jason's foot, and curled beautifully across goal into the far corner. I'd like to say I remember who that was against or what it meant in terms of context, however that's lost to history unless one day I stumble across some info regarding that match.

Jason joined the Swans on a free in 1995, aged 18, from Aberaman. He only managed one appearance in his first two years, however the managerial merry-go round that existed between 1996 and 1998 actually seemed to work in Price's favour, and in the 97/98 season he managed thirty-one league appearances and four goals. Regular right-back Steve Jones' suffered a broken leg which allowed price into the side, but in reality Price spent more time as a right midfielder than a right back - which is a good thing judging by what I remember of his tackling. Price admitted in an interview with WalesOnline a couple of years ago that his professionalism wasn't, perhaps, the best during his time in Swansea:

“I used to live with our left-back Joao Moreira when I was a rebel and I ended up having a written warning off Alan Curtis because I was partying too much. 

“There was a group of students living across the road and they had a jacuzzi, that spells trouble. We got into training one day and he had a long list of what we’d been doing, our neighbours had complained about us. It was like the 1800s with a big scroll and Alan saying, ‘hear ye, hear ye’ and reading out what we’d got up to. 

“When I was younger I used to go out on a Thursday, but I wouldn’t drink two days before a game. I’ve only done it once – I was actually man of the match – but I wouldn’t do it again. Swansea were playing away at Chester when John Hollins was manager. I had been dropped for the game before so I thought I’d be left out of this one. 

“I went to Manchester with a mate and then met up with the team for the game. I honestly thought I wasn’t going to play so I had a couple of drinks, ended up getting drunk, and reported for the game the next day and the boys could tell I’d been on the booze. 

“Then the manager told me I was in the team on the right wing. I wasn’t drunk at the time, I was a bit giddy, but I played and had man of the match. But I’ve never ever done that since.” Jason Price

By the time he left in 2001, he'd made 130 appearances, scoring 15 goals - hardly prolific, or indicative of a player who would spend a large part of the rest of his carer playing up front! Jason left the Swans for Brentford, but didn't stay long before moving to Tranmere Rovers, where he scored 11 goals in 49 games over two seasons. This duly attracted the attention of Hull City (who came so close to putting Swansea out of the football league only months earlier), and Peter Taylor signed him up on a free transfer, after Price rejected Tranmere's offer of a new contract. He spent three largely successful seasons with Hull, scoring 13 goals in 75 appearances and gaining consecutive promotions, before a £66,000 offer was enough to see him join the club with whom he seemed to forge the strongest bond (Swansea notwithstanding) - Doncaster Rovers.

Price while at Doncaster.
Good hair.

It seems to have been here that Jason decided he preferred JJ (his middle name is Jeffrey), and, after being signed by Sean O'Driscoll, he made 97 appearances over three seasons - scoring 17 goals. Sadly, he ruptured his achilles tendon in the Football League Trophy final in 2007, ruling him out for nine months, but he did recover and signed a new contract which kept him at the club until 2009. Towards the end of this contract, he went out on loan to Millwall, and made his debut two days later on the 26th of March - scoring a 90th minute winner! Price returned to Doncaster at the end of the season, before being released from his contract and subsequently re-joining Millwall on a one year deal - however by Febuary of the following year he'd fallen out of favour and spent time on loan at first Oldham Athletic, before returning and then setting off two days later for Carlisle United. Nomadic indeed.

Price seemed to do enough to warrant a one year contract with Carlisle for the 2010/2011 season, which was duly awarded, however his time at Carlisle mirrored his time at Millwall. By the 13th of October he was on loan at Bradford (until January), before spending time with both Walsall and Hereford United before the season's end. Four clubs in one season Sepp Blatter would be having palpitations if someone did that nowadays!  The following year Price spent another year flitting around the lower leagues of English football - playing for Barnet, and then Morecambe, who subsequently released him so that he could play out the remainder of the season for Guiseley. Very honourable.

That pretty much takes us up to the present day. Price joined Prestatyn in the most recent close season, and has so far scored 11 goals from 22 appearances this season, also helping out with five assists. He won player of the month in September, but Price is acutely aware time is drawing in on his playing career, and he's already started planning for life after football:

“I know, more or less, my football career is coming to an end now. I’ve been playing all my life, but it’s going to stop soon and that’s something I have to get my head around.

“I’ve had 10 or 11 clubs and I’ve enjoyed every minute of my career. You get good money and as long as the manager was happy then I was. Football has been good to me. 

“Now I’m doing this plumbing course and working with my uncle and it’s the first time in 17 years I haven’t had a holiday away. I get all these messages from people who are partying in the sun in Marbella and I’m sorting out pipes in someone’s house.”

It seems Price is happy with his lot, and why wouldn't he be? Over 475 career appearances and with 81 goals to his name, that's some return for a player who some reckoned wasn't good enough for the Swans in Division Three. From Jason's quotes he hardly seems the consummate professional, however it goes to show  what you can achieve if you want something enough and have a bit of luck while whilst you're at it.

Price in the colours of current club, Prestatyn Town.

Here's hoping he's a good plumber...