WHAT'S all this fuss about Wayne Rooney I hear you City fans cry -- did anyone not see Dan Jones at the weekend?

Okay he may not have struck the goal to sink one of the best teams in Europe, but then if Jones had been playing he might have closed down the 16-year-old Everton whizzkid a bit quicker!

It's easy to go overboard after just one performance but as debuts go I'm sure you won't see many better ones than Jones.

What made it all the more outstanding was that it was in such a vital position -- as one of three central defenders there was no room to hide and he displayed good powers of recovery on the few times he was caught out.

In fact quizzing a few City supporters around the office, few better debuts spring to mind.

Hat-trick

Paul Harrison remembers Mark Shail's debut who, he said, looked every inch a first team player from match one, while colleague Tony Moore still recalls Sam Bowen's hat-trick against Rothwell as a memorable affair.

Sports Editor Paul Ricketts cites Roger Davies' first game as being the most impressive. The striker scored a hat-trick against Wimbledon and then went on to net seven goals in seven games before Brian Clough snapped him up for Derby County for £17,500 to bring his spell at City to an abrupt end.

One man who knows Jones well is Kidderminster Harriers boss Ian Britton who, as youth manager under Jan Molby, worked regularly with the teenager. Despite releasing the youngster, Jones made an impression on Britton.

"He played centre-half or central midfield for us and was quite skilful," recalls Britton.

"Although he wasn't what we were looking for at the time, I'm sure he can earn a living out of the game."

Worcester's reserve team boss Geoff Ashby has no doubts that Jones can make a success in the first team and believes the extra responsibility will bring the best out of him.

"He's always done the right thing but things come quite easy for him and he needs to play at a higher level and step up all the time," said Ashby.

"But without question he can play at a higher level -- he can pass the ball well, is pretty quick and has got all the attributes."

Ashby will be running an eye over the next clutch of promising City youngsters tomorrow night when the reserves including Duncan Willetts and Paul Wyatt plus Liam McDonald, Richard Tomkins and Dan Parker, who were also on the bench against Cambridge City, visit Solihull Borough.