Jonathan Grounds, a defender, had played nearly 400 league games when he came to Exeter City in 2021. He featured in fifteen league games when City won promotion in 2021/22 and remained with the club during the following campaign prior to moving into coaching with Birmingham City.  

From nearby Thornaby-on-Tees, Jonathan made his senior debut for Middlesbrough in the Premier League against Liverpool on 12 January 2008. He was to remain at the Riverside until 2012 by which time he had played 33 league games for Boro scoring a single goal against Swansea City on 12 February 2011. During his time at the club Jonathan was loaned to Norwich City (twice), Hibernian, Chesterfield and Yeovil Town making 56 league appearances for those clubs. Then, leaving Middlesbrough, Jonathan signed for League One Oldham Athletic at the start of 2012/13 and appeared in nearly every league game over the next two seasons. This led to a move to Championship Birmingham City where, between 2014/15 and 2017/18, he appeared in 158 league games being a virtual ever-present during his first three seasons. However, with the club’s financial considerations in the background, Birmingham allowed Joanathan to move to Bolton on loan in August 2018. Aside from fifteen league and cup games for Bolton that season, Jonathan was to play no other senior football until he left Birmingham in June 2020.    

Joining Swindon Town three months later in September 2020, Jonathan played thirty-one league games in his single season in Wiltshire. Then, aged thirty-three, he signed for Exeter City in late July 2021 on a one-year deal and made his debut for the Grecians on 7 August 2021 against Bradford City. In what was to be a promotion season for the club Jonathan started seven league games, came on as substitute eight times and scored two league goals against Harrogate and Swindon. He subsequently signed a further one-year contract and played in another 22 league and cup games up to and including the match against Morecambe on 7 May 2023.

Declining the offer to remain with City as player-coach, Jonathan later took up the position of under-16s coach back at Birmingham City before switching to the under-21s ahead of becoming a first-team coach in October 2024.