JASON JONES has pleaded with Clitheroe boss Lee Sculpher not to leave him out of tomorrow's crunch FA Vase tie at home to Devizes Town.

The midfielder was sent off in the 1-0 Marsden Trophy defeat at Kendal on Tuesday for violent conduct after retaliating to a tackle from behind.

And that could cost the Mill Hill-born 22-year-old his place in the side for tomorrow's important last 16 clash.

"It was just a moment of madness and Scully (manager Lee Sculpher) didn't speak to me after the game," said Jones.

"I'm going to have to make up for it. I let the lads down. I apologised after the game but that wasn't enough.

"It was just a reaction to a bad challenge from behind. I turned and my wrist caught him but I didn't mean to hit him."

Jones' sending off left the Blues with 10 men for 70 minutes against the UniBond League side.

And they incredibly held out until the 86th minute before conceding the killer goal.

"They were superb. They worked so hard and it just shows the spirit of the team," said Jones.

"It was disappointing as well because it was a really scrappy goal that won it."

The Blues have now lost the last two games after tasting defeat for the first time in 17 matches against Congleton a fortnight ago.

And they will be desperate to turn that around tomorrow in the most important match of the season, when a crowd of up to 1,000 is expected.

Jones has now been at Clitheroe for six years and was given his first-team chance by Steve Parry.

But it was Sculpher, then just a player, who took him under his wing. "I was only 17 and after the game I was sat in the bar all by myself and it was Scully who came up to me and took me to the bar and bought me a drink.

"He showed he can be alright at times! But seriously, he is a good man.

"He would always come down really hard on me if I made a mistake on the pitch but when we come off it's back to being mates."

But little over 12 months ago, Jones was thinking of packing it all in to join Ramsbottom.

He explains: "I was on the bench for about seven games but I wanted that number eight shirt."

But Sculpher told him no player was guaranteed a place in the team.

Jones said: "I think he wanted a reaction out of me and I haven't been out of the team since. I couldn't leave Clitheroe, it is in my heart."

And the FA Vase is in the heart of the fans and staff at the club, but Jones says while it would be brilliant to win it, the NWCL Division One title is the priority.

"It may be a bit of a blessing (going out of the Marsden Trophy) because we are already three games behind Prescot.

"The Vase may be important to the club historically but it is the league that is most important to the players.

"We want to play at as high a level as possible and we still think we can win it even though we are 17 points behind."