Jackson Looking Forward to Locking Horns With Old Teammates Monday, 8th Aug 2022 16:31 Kayden Jackson is looking forward to rubbing shoulders with some former Town colleagues when Colchester make the trip along the A12 tomorrow night for a Carabao Cup first round tie under the Portman Road floodlights. For example, he could be in close proximity to former Blues skipper Luke Chambers, who has already passed the 50-appearance mark since joining the U’s upon the expiry of his Town contract last summer, while he may also come across midfielders Cole Skuse and Alan Judge, along with striker Freddie Sears. Asked if he is likely to indulge in a spot of banter on the pitch with the likes of Chambers, Jackson said: “I’m hoping it won’t be a quiet game and I’d far rather have a busy time, whether it’s against Chambo or whoever. You just block it out. I’m looking forward to getting out there, if selected, and doing my best, plus hopefully having a good game.” Is it actually a thing that players can share a joke during a break in the action or is it strictly a case of business heads on for the entire 90 minutes? Jackson added: “A bit of both. I’m not one of the Roy Keane kind of players who are totally locked in. I like to have a bit of banter, which I find is a good way of staying chilled and relaxed, but I also like to think that when it needs to be switched on, I can do it. “I’m looking forward to seeing people and having a chat before and after the game, but when the game’s on I will be concentrating on getting the win. “I still keep in touch with the Colchester lads who were my teammates on a regular basis and with social media these days you tend to know where everyone is and what they are doing. “Also, my partner still speaks to their partners so there’s regular contact. She was actually with Judgey’s missus last week and they were talking about the game. I think some people are looking forward to it more than others — I think I’ll just leave it at that.” Talking of ex-colleagues, Jackson is delighted for Flynn Downes after the midfielder made his Premier League debut at the weekend. Having made his way to boyhood favourites West Ham, via a £12 million move from Swansea, he was sent on as a second-half substitute in the Hammers’ 2-0 home defeat by Manchester City on Sunday. Jackson laughed: “I could have done with him doing a bit more when he came on. I had him in my fantasy team, on the bench, and I messaged him to say I wasn’t happy that he only got me one point! “Seriously, it’s incredible to see and everybody that has played with Flynn and worked with him on a daily basis knew this was coming. I don’t think this is the end for him, either. “It’s a massive move for him to join West Ham but when you see people like Kalvin Phillips moving from Leeds to Manchester City — and Declan Rice being touted for a £150 million move at some point — I can see it happening to him. If we don’t see Flynn making a £50 million-plus move in the future there’s something wrong. He works incredibly hard and I hope he gets what he deserves. “If half of the young lads I’ve come across worked even half as hard as Flynn they would have very successful careers. It’s a shame the club couldn’t keep hold of Flynn but a lot of stuff went on there and it just wasn’t possible. “But someone like Cam Humphreys, for example, will be delighted that he is here and coming through at this time. It is probably the best time ever for a young lad to come through because you can see where the club wants to go. Give it a few years and the club will be right up there and Cam can enjoy all that.” Jackson was asked about the new rule that allows teams to make a total of five substitutions at three points in a game, as well as at half-time, and if forwards were almost guaranteed a slice of the action with the rules being relaxed. He said: “At the start of the season, and maybe this one more than others because of the climate, it’s very tough and demanding physically in the heat. If you’re on the bench you have to be ready at all times. “If you’re a starter you can leave it all out there, whether you make it to 60 minutes, 70 minutes or whatever. Sometimes you can see the flow of the game interrupted too much but with our squad we have used it to our benefit in the games so far. Hopefully, we can carry on in that way with our subs coming on to make an impact.” If you’re excluded from the starting line-up, does the fact that five changes are permitted make you feel more involved as a substitute? He added: “In the past, if you had a couple of injuries after using your subs, it meant that two lads on the bench couldn’t come on, so it provides more flexibility than before and we must look to use it to our advantage whenever possible.” Finally, after last season was cut short for Jackson by an injury that required surgery and caused him to miss the final eight league games, he was asked about his target for the current campaign and replied: “Just to be successful really, to play as many games as possible and to stay fit. I don’t want any more injuries and surgery so I want to play and help the team as much as possible. “We have very, very high targets this season. Things are not going to be perfect all the way but I’m positive that if we work hard every day in training, like we are, we will get plenty of success along the way.”
Photo: Matchday Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Blogs 295 bloggersIpswich Town Polls[ Vote here ] |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
