IN the end Billy Jones’ time at West Brom ended disappointingly but before he is due to face his former club in a Sunderland shirt today he has revealed he will always be grateful for his Premier League chance.

Jones moved from The Hawthorns as a free agent last summer after spending three years with the Baggies, having been signed by England boss Roy Hodgson during his time in charge there.

He should have played more times than the 62 appearances he made, but suffered injuries to restrict his playing time and match fitness and that led to his contract running down.

But the experience of playing for West Brom will remain with him, particularly given how he had spent the best part of eight years working his way to that level after starting his career as part of the Crewe academy system.

Jones said: “I’m thankful to West Brom for, first and foremost, giving me the chance in the Premier League when I was at Preston and had a good season. Preston got relegated that year in 2011, and West Brom showed faith when I’m sure a lot of people couldn’t believe they were signing me, having just got relegated from the Championship.

“So I’m thankful to them for that. I’ve also got fond memories of a top-eight finish under Steve Clarke, and of playing in big games and everything that is part and parcel of playing Premier League football.”

While the excitement of that satisfying top ten finish under Clarke will form a prominent part of his scrapbook, he also enjoyed the year he had working under Hodgson before he took over England in May 2012.

“He was my first manager there,” said Jones. “It was nice because he had been named England boss while he was still West Brom manager, and he was thankful to us as players for doing enough for him to even be considered.

“That was a fond memory, but every manager has been great to work under. Roy’s way with the players, I think a lot of the players really enjoyed the way he took training, and the rest of it.

“It was really good, it was an eye-opener really because I was new to Premier League football and it was great to have someone like Roy, with vast Premier League experience.”

Since leaving West Brom, Jones’ Sunderland stay has not gone as well as he would have liked. He has had his injury problems, so has started just six times in the Premier League and was part of the team that lost at Bradford in the FA Cup last Sunday.

But the right-back is happy with the way he left to join Sunderland. He said: “To be honest, with the contract negotiations, it was very much out of my hands. It was left that late.

I think any player would say that it’s nice to be wanted.

“At West Brom, in my last season, it was the same again (as this season), hampered with injuries, which was very disappointing. But they didn’t really show that confidence and belief in me as a player that they wanted to keep me.

“I obviously wanted to move on, to play Premier League football and prove myself, and I thought I’d have a much better chance of doing that by leaving West Brom and joining Sunderland.”

He added: “I just hope I can perform well, take it and we can get the win on Saturday we need. Obviously, it’s a massive game. I missed the first game of the season against them at the Hawthorns, so I’ve been looking forward to this one since then.

“It’s a big game against a team which is down there with us, which makes it even more important that we produce a good performance and get that win.”

Sunderland have won just once in the league since before Christmas and sit just two points above the relegation zone. The importance of defeating a team sitting just above them could be perceived as vital given the spotlight on Gus Poyet following his recent comments to fans and media.

Jones said: “I think it’s a game which will definitely help us as a collective, as a group - fans, players, staff - to bring a bit more of a positive atmosphere around the place. There are 13 games left, and it’s a mini-league down there in the fight to stay up.

“We’re obviously disappointed with the position we’re in, that we’re not further away from it than we should be. But we’re up for the fight, and looking forward to the next few games, and making sure out of that mini-league that we’re top of it.”