“Go out there and enjoy yourself as you are only as good as your last match!”
This was the fatherly advice given to FN Rangers’ left winger Carlyle, youngest son of the legendary striker Bradley “Chokka” Jones (50), ahead of the Bayhill Premier Cup Final at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday.
Unfortunately, Rangers came off second best when they lost out to Cape Town Spurs by 1-4 at the Athlone Stadium on Easter Monday.
And Bradley was the first to console Carlyle as he knows all too well about the disappointment of losing out in a Bayhill Final.
“After the game I went straight to the dressing room and talked to him, but he was fine. He really enjoyed their run in the tournament,” Bradley explained to No Bones with Jones.
Needless to say, there are some striking parallels that can be drawn between this father and son combination.
Like Carlyle, who lost at the age of 18 years against Cape Town Spurs, so too was Bradley when he was on the losing side when Rangers St. Agnes lost to the mighty Battswood in the 1992 final played at Westridge’s Stephan Reagan Complex in Mitchells Plain.
However, there was some consolation for Bradley as he ended up as the top goalscorer with six goals at the tournament.
It must be noted that Bradley lifted the cup a year prior when he played for Jamestown-Cathkin and they beat Edgemead-Goodwood by 3-1 also played at Westridge.
But there is more, Bradley was a potent left-footed winger in his hey-day while Carlyle who is right-footed, also plays on the wing and also has an affinity for the number 9-jersey.
According to Bradley he was not too religious over the fact that his son needed to emulate his glittering football career – It just happened to be a case of “like father like son”.
“Everyone expects my son to follow in my footsteps but he must do it himself; he must not play on my name but rather carve out his own path,” Bradley further added.
Meanwhile, Carlyle admitted that he was made aware of his father’s heroics more than three decades ago, when he burst onto the scene for coach Warwick Hector’s Rangers.
“Following in my dad’s footsteps isn’t easy as I heard from many people that he was a great footballer and also scored many goals,” the youngest of two told our website.
“When I started playing football and people heard I am Bradley Jones, aka Chokka’s, son, they told me I have big boots to fill and had high expectations from me. I might not be able to be as good as my dad but I’ll surely continue to work hard on and off the field.
“Preparing for the Bayhill 2024, I worked hard with my team during the summer break and also on my own. I went on to play in the Bayhill tournament with the mindset of giving my best and to make memories, since my dad was the top goalscorer when he played in the Bayhill final in 1992.”
Fortunately for Carlyle, all is not lost as he will be able to give it another go at the Bayhill title should all go according to plan for 2025.
In fact, 15 players of Rangers’ current squad are eligible which could be ominous for opposition teams should they progress to the tournament proper again next year.
And one can rest assured that Bradley is right by his side again doing it all over with the hope that his son can taste the winning feeling of lifting a Bayhill Cup.
As the saying goes… you got to keep up with the Joneses – no pressure!
