It is often said that less is more and that could prove to be the case for Brechin City striker Andy Jackson, who moved to being a part-time player at the start of this season, and so far he has enjoyed his best season since exploding onto the scene as a youngster with St. Johnstone.
Jackson said: “It has been great for me to be keeping clear of injuries and playing every week. That builds on a decent season at Morton last year, where I played and scored a lot especially in the first half of the season.
“I had a few injury problems at St. Johnstone after making a great start to my career there so being involved every week and scoring goals is a good feeling.”
The 24-year-old first played for the Perth side as a 16-year-old in August, 2004 and he had scored for both Cowdenbeath and Forfar Athletic during loan spells before finding the net for the Saints with Jackson saying: “The Manager at St. Johnstone, Owen Coyle, put me out on loan to gain experience and I like to think I helped Cowdenbeath win the League and Forfar avoid relegation that season.”
The first St. Johnstone goal came in September, 2007 in a Scottish Challenge Cup 2-0 success over Ross County and a winners' medal was picked up in that competition when Dunfermline Athletic were beaten 3-2 at Dens Park before Jackson was awarded the SFL Young Player of the Month for January, 2008 after he scored in three consecutive games against Raith Rovers, Dunfermline Athletic and then Stirling Albion.
18 goals were bagged that season and international recognition was soon earned with a Republic of Ireland Under-21 cap earned in a 1-1 draw with Austria in August, 2008.
Just when everything was looking good, fate played Jackson a horrible hand as he explained: “Just when my career seemed set to grow further, I ruptured my achilles and that cost me a long time out of the game. When I was coming back, I injured my knee so all in all, I have lost two years of my playing career already.
“It was devastating at the time especially as there was a lot of paper talk about a move to England. Whilst you should never get too excited by these things, a lot of people were saying that with Owen down managing at Burnley, he would have come in for me but it never happened.”
Jackson’s eight year spell as a Saint came to an end in the summer of 2011 and he said: “I was there for eight years but I knew I had to leave. I was sad to do so as I had made my name there and I was back playing and scoring in the SPL but I was not getting as much football as I would have liked.
“Derek McInnes had been great with me but I had been on three consecutive six month contracts so when Morton offered me a year long deal, I thought it was best to move on."
Jackson’s Morton career got off to a flying start with four goals in an 8-0 Challenge Cup success at Stranraer on the opening day of last season and he scored another seven times by Boxing Day. However, a bit like the title challenge from the Greenock side. things fizzled out and there was a parting of the ways at the end of last season.
A former Perth colleague was quickly in touch with Jackson saying: “Jim Weir was the Brechin boss and I knew him well as I worked for him when I was a youth player at McDiarmid Park. I also had a spell on loan with Jim and his assistant Kevin McGowne when they were in charge at Arbroath and I needed games to get myself fit again after my injuries.”
The reunion did not last long with Weir leaving Glebe Park after a 3-0 defeat from Ayr United at the end of September and Jackson said: “I was sorry to see Jim go as I enjoyed working under him. I sent him a text after he left, apologising for my part in letting him down and he got back to me to say that I had not let him down at all which was nice.”
Weir was correct in pointing out that Jackson had not let him down as by the time he left, the Glebe Park club had scored six goals and it was Jackson who had scored all of them with his first coming in the opening day 2-1 defeat from Rangers in The Ramsdens Cup First Round tie that televised live on BBC ALBA.
That opening run of six goals in six games was followed by eight goals in seven games at the end of October and beginning of November with Jackson saying: “It has been good to find the net frequently as we climbed the League under the new Manager Ray McKinnon. We have moved up from eighth place to third in the League and are undefeated in five games. Hopefully, that can continue.
“I scored a couple in the Scottish Cup against Bonnyrigg but unfortunately, I will not be able to score any more in that competition after losing to St. Mirren last weekend.”
Jackson’s 14 goals have been a real mix of headers, shots and round the keeper efforts with the marksman saying: “They might have been a variety of goals but they were all in the box. The two against Forfar recently were both ones where I was straight through and decided to go around their goalkeeper and people asked me if that was a confidence thing.
“I don’t think it is as I have always been confident about my finishing ability and when I get games, I get goals. Managers know that about me, it is all about getting games.”
Life as a part-time player has brought ups and downs with Jackson saying: “I am not working at anything else at the moment but it has not been for the want of trying. The up side to that is that I can still train like a full-time player as I go to the gym and put in the same hours I did when I was a full-timer but I would like a job.
“Going part-time was a bit of a shock at first but I seem to enjoy it and perhaps only playing three times a week means more to me and I am giving it more.”
Jackson has family company in the part-time stakes as younger brother, Steven, is a regular in defence for East Stirlingshire in the Third Division and the siblings see a lot of each other as a result with the Brechin Jackson saying: “Steven is only 20 but he has been in their first team for three years and has played a lot of games. If I ever get a free Saturday, I go down and see him play but he plays in defence and not attack.
“The two clubs train at Little Kerse near Grangemouth on Tuesday and Thursday nights and we actually played against each other in a pre-season friendly. We had been in doing an hours' work and the East Stirling players just arrived when the management teams decided to play a game so we took them on after working really hard for an hour. Thankfully, it ended 0-0.”
Jackson added: “I quite like him training at the same place as I usually have to take him and pick him up everywhere in my car so at least there is no added travelling involved.”
Brechin were hoping to keep their improving season going by seeing off Ayr United at Glebe Park tomorrow but the game has been postponed due to the freezing weather. Jackson said: “It is disappointing that tomorrow's match against Ayr is off as we have been playing well recently.
“Although we lost to St. Mirren last Saturday, we were not too downhearted by that as it took two attempts of the highest quality to beat us from a free kick and then a world class volley. Had we got it to 0-0 at half-time, things may have been different but that is gone now.”
Jackson is keen to hit both club and personal goals this season as he said: “We want to keep in the hunt at the top of the Second Division and to do that, we need to keep winning. I am also looking to keep being the leading scorer in the division.
“I am two ahead of Queen of the South’s Nicky Clark just now and I know that I have to keep scoring to keep ahead. I am pretty sure if I keep getting games then I will keep scoring.”
Tomorrow however, he may have to content himself by watching his brother play for East Stirlingshire against Montrose at Ochilview although even that match is subject to a 10.00 a.m. pitch inspection tomorrow!
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