Jones: 2012 Was Educational

Phil Jones has experienced a testing 2012 but he is marking it down as educational and, in part one of this interview with Saturday's United Review, he says he's all the better for it...

You played in every Manchester derby last season; how did last Sunday’s clash compare?
It felt really sweet because we won a big derby game and an important league match, but also because of everything that happened last season. It was such a brilliant day, especially with the way the scoring panned out. It was a crazy game but I thought we played some excellent football and to get the winner in the last minute was incredible. It was a great feeling for us in the dressing room afterwards so I bet it felt like a massive result for the fans. You could tell what it meant to them just by looking at the away end. We felt exactly the same.

You looked like you enjoyed the celebrations too…
The substitutes on the bench were getting a lot of stick from the City fans behind the dugout. So I enjoyed the celebrations at the end – it was a great result and a really good performance.

With last year’s derby results and the way things panned out on the league’s final day, was there a real determination to turn in a positive performance?
The lads and the manager deserve a lot of credit for coming out and playing the way we did. We wanted to win and wanted to attack. We worked really hard during the week in the build-up to the game and put the right preparation in place. The players took on board everything that the coaches and the manager said to us about the way they wanted us to play. I think that showed in our performance.

Patrice Evra mentioned that the players had been waiting for this game, almost like you wanted to go out there and make a point…
Yeah, we did. Especially given the circumstances of last season, I felt we were very unfortunate to lose out on the league. We had to try and eradicate that feeling of disappointment and to a certain degree we did that, but that feeling will only fully be gone if we pick up that trophy at the end of the season. That’s what we want to achieve.

Was it important to beat City at their place considering they’d gone two years unbeaten at home…
Perhaps, but I think from our point view we were just looking at it as a really important game for us. To go to Manchester City isn’t easy, they have got a great record there, but full credit to our players for getting the right result.

On the final day of last season with the title at stake, you played against Saturday’s opponents Sunderland. What was that whole experience like?
It was crazy to be part of it. You went from high to low in the space of about ten seconds. We thought we’d done it and then we hadn’t. But I think we’ve bounced back from that, got over it and started the season really well – albeit with a few hiccups here and there – and now we’re in a strong position.

Back in May the manager spoke passionately, urging the young players to remember the experience. Has that stayed with you?
It was a miserable afternoon, as you can imagine, but the manager just told us: ‘Always remember this experience and don’t let it happen again’. You have to learn from it, even though it hurt at the time. It’s a great lesson and a harsh learning curve but all you can do is go out and try and win the next one. That’s what the players at this club have always done and that’s what we’re trying to do this season.

How frustrating was it that your start to the season was interrupted by injuries – particularly with opportunities there with other defenders out too…
I was tearing my hair out, it was so frustrating. I just wanted to be out there playing, but I couldn’t. You have to just accept that injuries are part of football though. Every player gets injuries and you need to be patient, recover and know that you can come back stronger. But it was frustrating that I got back from one injury and then on my first or second day back in training I did my knee. I thought I’d hit rock-bottom. It’s a horrible feeling being injured and watching the lads go out and play when you’re in the changing room knowing that you’re not a part of it all.

How did you remain positive – through your own mental strength or from the support around you?
It’s a bit of both. The medical staff here are brilliant and you just have to put the frustration out of your mind and believe that you’re going to come back and be stronger because of it. You have your ups and downs but it’s amazing how quickly your fortunes can change in football, so you shouldn’t dwell on either extreme. It’s not a nice feeling to be out injured but you’ve got to keep grinding it out and doing your work in the gym. I’m absolutely delighted to be back involved again and hopefully I can force my way back into the team and get a run of games under my belt.