Dean Saunders further bolstered his squad, ready for the coming season; with the signing of experienced centre back Rob Jones, subject to registration.
Jones, who was captain in Sheffield Wednesday’s promotion winning team last season, has signed a two year deal with Rovers.
A former teacher, Jones started his footballing career at York City before moving on to various clubs in the non-league ladder.
In 2004 he was handed a contract by Grimsby Town manager Russell Slade after impressing whilst on trial. A string of impressive performances, including a sensational 1-0 victory over Premier League Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup, led to him being carried off the pitch by the Town fans.
At the end of that season Scottish Premier League side Hibernian agreed a deal to sign Jones on a four-year contract. In January 2007 Jones was named captain of Hibernian and led the side to their first piece of silverware in 16 years when they beat Kilmarnock 5-1 in the Scottish League Cup Final.
Jones was the subject of a number of unsuccessful bids from the Championship whilst at Hibs, however in the summer of 2009 he signed for Scunthorpe United for an undisclosed ‘club record’ fee. He went on to make 48 appearances for the Iron, before joining Sheffield Wednesday on loan.
At the end of the 2010/11 season Jones joined Wednesday on a two year permanent deal and was appointed captain for the 2011/12 season.
Jones enjoyed a successful season with Wednesday, and helped the side achieve promotion back to the Championship.
‘On reflection it was a fantastic season for me and for the club, but sometimes you get opportunities to progress and move on in the way that you want to. This was an option that excited me, and it gave me a chance to come here, to a great stadium, good fanbase and a good club – sometimes it’s time to move on,’ he said.
‘There’s an abundance of good players here all with Championship pedigree - I think they’ve shown that in the last three or four seasons.
‘I watched the game at the weekend and I didn’t think there was much between the two sides, which bodes well for the future’.