Jackson: It's Very, Very Different Now to When I Joined
Friday, 1st Dec 2023 16:47

Kayden Jackson has talked about the transformation at Town between now and his first season at Portman Road, the dark days of the 2018/19 campaign that saw the club relegated to England’s third tier for the first time in 61 years.

No one of an Ipswich persuasion needs reminding of the gory details, but it is refreshing to hear the thoughts of Jackson, who arrived from Accrington as one of new manager Paul Hurst’s signings on 9 August and two days later made his debut for the Blues in a 1-0 defeat at Rotherham.

It took Hurst until his 13th game in charge to record a win, 3-2 at Swansea, and after further losses to both QPR and Leeds he was sacked by owner Marcus Evans.

After a 3-0 defeat at Millwall under caretaker boss Bryan Klug, the new manager was revealed as Paul Lambert, who was unable to prevent what many fans regarded had already decided would be the inevitable end-of-season outcome.

But that was then and although Town’s stay in League One was to last four years, current boss Kieran McKenna has won promotion back to the Championship, where the club sits proudly in second place, just one behind leaders Leicester, and with a seven-point cushion to third-placed Leeds.

Jackson, his former Accrington colleague, Janoi Donacien, and Luke Woolfenden are the only senior squad members to have survived from the period when Hurst departed and Lambert arrived, a bleak period in the history of the club as they finished bottom of the Championship that season, a vasty different position to the one they currently occupy in their first season back in the second tier.

The 29-year-old said: “It’s very, very different now to when I first joined Ipswich. We were lucky to get one or two goals in a game back then, whereas now we’re regularly scoring two, three and even four goals in games. We go into every game high on confidence and we have shown we can score plenty of goals.

“Maybe it’s just as well because this season we are coming up against some top sides, as we saw last week at West Brom. We didn’t get the three or four we needed then, but it was only our second defeat this season. It’s enjoyable to be going out – week in, week out – and playing good football, and there’s no place I’d rather be than here.”

Jackson is the first to agree he has played a supporting role in the current campaign, with three starts and eight substitute appearances in the Championship, while he made three starts and came off the bench once in the club’s Carabao Cup run that only ended at the fourth round stage following a 3-1 home defeat by top-flight Fulham.

“It was really good, the cup run.” he said. “Obviously, we were all hoping for Liverpool, Manchester United or Chelsea away, but it was still good to test ourselves against some equally big Premier League sides and show what we could do against some of the big boys.

“It was great to play against Wolves, in what was a great win, and while the club has aspirations, so do we as players to get to the next level.

“We have a big squad but we know how big a task it is going to be this season to win another promotion. Every member of the squad will play a part, just like last season, so for the likes of me and the other boys who are coming on and making a few starts here and there, it’s all about being ready for when the gaffer calls upon us.

“It has been extra special for me to be back in the Championship. The circumstances now, compared to back then, could hardly be more different.

“It has been good to be back at the same level again, playing and scoring for a team I enjoy being part of when I get the chance. The football we have played at times has been incredible and hopefully we will do that on many more occasions between now and the end of the season.

“The best about having another crack at the Championship is that I’m part of a team that is far better equipped to have a good go at it.

“The past is the past and I don’t really want to dwell on it, but it’s a much better place to be now than the last time. We have a totally different task than we did back then and while there are some really good sides at this level, we are concentrating on ourselves and we know how much we can realistically achieve with all the hard work we put in.

“We’re professionals and it’s the way we go about our work. Also, the way the boss and his staff conduct themselves and the way we focus on each and every game. We don’t really focus on what we’ve achieved so far, how many points we’ve amassed and where we are sitting in the league table.

“It’s all about the next game and we know Saturday’s opponents, Coventry, could well have been a Premier League side had they won the play-off final last season. They were only a penalty kick away so we’re expecting another tough task and it’s one that I know we will be ready for.”

With Hurst departing Town so early in his tenure and successor Lambert shunning Jackson to the extent that he was forced to train with the youth squad, it is not difficult to appreciate how much he must be enjoying life at Portman Road under the direction of Kieran McKenna.

When asked about their relationship, Jackson explained: “I just think it’s the enjoyment factor. I come into training each day knowing I am going to enjoy it because I’m playing for a manager who has respect for me, both as a player and a person. Also, I’m able to grow as well because he has been at the very top as a coach. I could only dream about being there as a player.

“Every day I can come in and learn from him is a day that I’m grateful for. I’m 29 now but I’m still learning and I’m also settled with my family here in Suffolk. The people, the places, it’s home now and we’ll see how long that lasts. I’m enjoying it and let’s see what we can achieve between now and the end of the season.”

Jackson is convinced about one thing – he is a far better player now than he was prior to McKenna’s arrival in December 2019. He added: “Anyone that has been playing under the current manager for a decent length of time is going to be better for it.

“I definitely feel I have improved and it’s also down to the system we have in place now. The position he wants me to play within the system is also better suited to me.

“It was tough, my first season here. As an attacking player it wasn’t enjoyable but I don’t think any player would say they enjoyed that season.

“We’re such a better team now, with better individuals, because we are given roles that suit our different attributes. It is a lot more enjoyable compared to back then.”

Photo: TWTD

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MK1 added 17:10 - Dec 1 Proving to be a good player to bring on with 20 minutes to go against tired legs. Thankfully the dark days seem well behind us.
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