Jackson: I'm Looking Forward to Being a Part of It Now Friday, 19th Mar 2021 11:48 The smile across the face of Town striker Kayden Jackson said it all as he described his feelings after being welcomed back into the fold by new manager Paul Cook following a major bust-up between him and former boss Paul Lambert. Cook’s ‘everyone starts with a clean slate’ policy meant more to Jackson and team-mate Jon Nolan than any of their colleagues after the pair were ordered by Lambert to train with the club’s U23 squad, a situation that ruled them out of being selected at first-team level and was only resolved by the change of manager. While Nolan has subsequently been injured and could miss the remainder of the season, Jackson is hungry for senior action after being exiled for eight games following a red card picked up in the tenth minute of the 1-0 home defeat by Sunderland in January. Jackson, 27, admitted: “It feels strange because while we’re coming towards the end of the season, I feel as if I’m just getting started, and I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, physically and mentally as well. I need to get myself fit and into top condition. “I’m just looking forward to being a part of it now. We have a massive run-in coming up and hopefully we can find the consistency we are lacking to push forward. We need to start getting more wins.” The £1.7 million signing from Accrington in the summer of 2018 has featured in new boss Cook’s four games in charge — two appearances off the bench followed by the same number of starts — and admitted dealing with the punishment handed out by Lambert wasn’t easy to take. Jackson added: “It was a tough time mentally. Physically, I kept myself fit and in good shape, because I had a bit more time to be doing other stuff fitness-wise. But mentally it was a tough place to be in, although there are things going on in the world right now that means there are far more people in a worse position than I ever was. I just had to keep my focus and carry on working hard.” Why was there a breakdown in the relationship with the former manager? “That’s something I’m not really sure about because I was never given any clarity,” he said. “The main thing for me was to stay in a good place, both mentally and physically, and that’s what I tried my best to do. I’m here now, back in the squad, and that’s all that matters.” Reacting to rumours that he had even reached the point where he refused to play for the club, Jackson explained: “That’s not true, it never happened, and I think those people who know me know I’m nothing like that. “I’ve taken a lot of stuff throughout my career and just got on with it. At the end of the day I’ve got a job to do. I’m an Ipswich player and I’ll do my job as best I can.” Asked about reports that he was almost on his way on the final day of the January transfer window, Jackson continued: “On the back of me finding myself in the position I was in certain things were brought to my attention fairly late on in the transfer window. I wasn’t pursuing anything and I wasn’t looking to get out of the club. “All I was focused on was doing my job. Obviously, towards the end of the window I was in a difficult position and going into the very last day I was made aware that there was a bit of interest in me. “To be honest it came as a bit of a shock to me because I wasn’t really playing at the time and hadn’t played much of the season up till then. It had been a bit of a stop-start season for me, so to have the interest there was a bit of a shock. “I was trying to put myself in the best position possible to be providing for my family and being happy as a footballer, so when I was told about a potential move I was only interested in getting myself back playing football, wherever that might have been.” Huddersfield were reported as a possible loan destination for the Yorkshireman but they made their interest known too late in the day for the Blues to consider and Jackson insists he is now fully focused on doing well for Town during what remains of the current campaign. His three-year contract is set to expire in the summer and while the club have the option of triggering a 12-month extension clause, the player is open to discussions being left on hold until the season is over and Town know their status moving forward. Jackson added: “I just want to give the best I can for the gaffer. He’s obviously been very successful with his previous clubs — his record speaks for itself — and all you want as a player is to play under a successful manager. “He is somebody known for getting the best out of his players. I followed Wigan quite a lot in recent seasons and I’ve known a lot of players who played under him and went on to reach greater heights. “At the minute all I’m concentrating on is playing football. There’s been no word from the club or my side. We’ll just leave that and see what happens come the end of the season. “I’m sure talks will be positive rather than negative so I’m looking forward to finishing the season as strongly as I can and hopefully helping the team to get to where we want to get to.”
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