Nathan Jones may have been heavily linked with Cardiff City, but his focus will be on the here and now this weekend, when he tries to guide Charlton Athletic into the Championship.
The Welsh manager takes his team to the League One play-off final at Wembley to face Leyton Orient on Sunday.
At the same time, Cardiff have begun to narrow their focus on a short-list of candidates to take over at a club which has just moved in the opposite direction – from Championship to League One.
Jones is understood to be on that shortlist along with the likes of former Oxford boss Des Buckingham, ex-Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt and Ruben Selles, who recently left Hull City.
A successful Sunday would likely rule out Jones from the Bluebirds’ vacancy. Few managers take a club up a division and then leave to take job at the level they have just left behind.
But a victory for Orient might make the Cardiff connection a whole lot more enticing for Jones who is an enthusiastic fan of the Bluebirds – sometimes, a little too enthusiastic for the fans of the club he happens to be with at the time.
He voiced his affection for Cardiff when he was at Luton Town and he recently said: “I make no secret about the Cardiff job, because it is my hometown club and all the affiliations I have there.
“One day I really, really would love to manage the football club. Right now, I’m Charlton manager and I’m thoroughly enjoying the project we are building.”
For now, Jones stands on the brink of what could prove a defining moment in his managerial career as he leads Charlton into their Wembley final.
After coming up short in his two previous play-off campaigns, the Rhondda native is determined to make this third attempt a triumphant one.
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Jones, who previously suffered play-off heartbreak with Luton Town—losing to Blackpool in the 2017 League Two semi-finals and again to Huddersfield in the 2022 Championship play-offs—believes past setbacks have sharpened his approach this time around.
"There are certain things [I've learned]," he told Sky Sports.
"The first campaign with Luton was my first one as a manager. We were a really good side and we'd beaten Blackpool twice in the league that season.
“We didn't go there complacent, but on the day we didn't really prepare well. Maybe there was a little bit too much pressure on us.
"There are lessons from every play-off campaign, and I've been fortunate to be a part of them as a player and an assistant manager, now this is my third one as a manager."
Charlton’s dramatic semi-final victory over Wycombe Wanderers saw Jones collapse to his knees at full-time, overwhelmed by emotion and the magnitude of what his side had achieved.
He said afterwards, “The fourth official told me it was done. It wasn’t quite like the final whistle but I’m a very religious man. I trust in the Lord.
“The Lord has seen me through difficult times. Really, really difficult times.
“There were times I was at a Premier League club where people didn’t think I deserved to be there – regardless of how much I had earned the right and gone through three divisions, coached at three different levels. It didn’t make a difference.
“So, all those things you remember, because they are all on your CV and your body of work.
“It was a bit of emotion to come out - just more the pride and relief to do that (to reach the final). But I also wanted to thank my God publicly, because he has been very good to me.”
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As his team gears up for one final push, Jones is full of respect for Sunday’s opponents, Orient, who saw off Stockport County in their own semi-final.
“To play at Wembley and a chance to get promoted to a higher league, it shows we have been a good side,” said Jones.
“Because anyone who finishes in the top six is a good side, regardless (of which position). They have to be consistent. It is not luck. You can’t be lucky for 46 games.
“You have highs and lows, you have to score goals – you have to keep clean sheets, adjust to injuries – all the things that can happen.
“We know both teams are in a good place. They’ve had to show real quality to beat Stockport, who are a very good side, over two legs.
“But we will relish the opportunity to do something special.”
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