Hailing from Morley, West Yorkshire, Jonny was picked up as a youngster by boyhood club Leeds United, where he started out as a striker.

Coming through the ranks at the same time as James Milner, Danny Rose and Aaron Lennon, Jonny made his professional debut at the age of 16, a 3-1 win over Barnet in the League Cup.

Handed his league debut by Dennis Wise in December, Jonny was named Man of the Match in a goalless draw with Hull City before scoring his first senior goal away at Norwich City.

He went on to feature more than 200 times for Leeds, but left to join Premier League outfit Norwich City in January 2012.

Helping the Canaries regain their top-flight status in 2014/15, Jonny scored a vital goal in the play-off semi-final draw away at local rivals Ipswich Town as the Canaries advanced to Wembley over two legs.

Having captained both Leeds and Norwich, Jonny signed for Boro in July 2017, making 48 appearances in his debut campaign on Teesside. Netting three goals in all competitions, it was a season that saw him break through the 400 career starts mark.

The 2018/19 campaign added another 47 games to his collection, and included the occasional appearance as captain and a new position of right-back for a few games. He also reached the milestone of 400 league starts in the final game of the campaign at Rotherham.

The 2019/20 season was arguably Jonny's best in a Boro shirt. Utilised in a host of positions from centre-back to number 10, his performances were rewarded when a year-long extension was exercised to keep him at the club for another year.

After an impressive 2020/21 campaign, Jonny was voted Player of the Year by the North East Sports Writers Association. He would also take on the role of club captain. 

Jonny further extended his stay at the club in November 2020 by signing a deal until the end of the 2021/22 season.

Named Fans' Player of the Year in 2022, Jonny penned yet another one-year extension in the summer, making his 250th Boro appearance in a 3-0 win away at Blackpool.

Jonny tallied up 45 appearances in all competitions across the 2023/24 campaign. He also scored two crucial goals in 2-1 wins against Southampton and Huddersfield.

Our skipper also played a full 90 minutes in our 1-0 victory against Chelsea in the semi-final first leg of the Carabao Cup.

At the end of the 2023/24 season the evergreen 35-year-old won Players’ Player of the Season at our End of Season Awards.

The club captain then put pen to paper once again at the start of May when he extended his stay at the club for a further year.