Jermaine Jones: "Stick it away quick, otherwise there'll be trouble…"
05.10.2007
It's just as well that Jermaine Jones didn't follow his first instinct before his goal. Otherwise the Schalke midfielder would not have put his side on the road to victory in their Champions League clash at Rosenborg. 
Because when the 26-year-old was put through by a great Ivan Rakitic pass, he thought it was too good to be true. "Our aim was to drive into the spaces at just the right moment. When I received the pass I was actually going to kick it away again because I thought I'd be pulled back for offside." But linesman Rafal Rostkowski got it exactly right and left his flag down. Jones’s brief hesitation was clear for all to see at the Lerkendal Stadium. "Then all of a sudden their players were charging towards me. So I thought: "Stick it away quick, otherwise there’ll be trouble after…"
For the ex-Frankfurt man the goal marked the culmination of an impressive development. "Eight games in a row – I've just been told I've never played that many one after the other before", said the midfielder with a grin. "It's just great being able to play, that's what pleases me so much about my situation."
Yet it seemed as if the run could be in danger when Jones caught his studs in the grass in the first half and looked to be in great pain. "All I thought was, please, please, no. And fortunately it turned out to be not that bad."
Jones held out until just before the final whistle before indicating that he had to come off. "My muscles felt very stiff in the end. I think it's a consequence of playing so many matches in recent weeks. So to be on the safe side I decided to go off."
