Kayden Jackson is likely to depart Ipswich Town after six seasons at Portman Road. Ross Halls looks back on his tumultuous experience with the club.
BIG PRICE TAG AND RELEGATION
Let’s rewind back to the summer of 2018, which was considered as a new era at Portman Road with Paul Hurst being appointed the new manager.
Jackson was purchased from Accrington Stanley for a sum of £1.6m, which was unheard of under former owner Marcus Evans. He was awarded the legendary No.9 jersey at Portman Road.
He was jumping up two categories, which probably put extra strain on his shoulders at the moment. He spent the most of career in non-league, originally breaking into the game via Samsung’s ‘Win A Pro Contract’ tournament.
The pacey forward was among a clutch of lower-league arrivals that summer, which severely backfired for Hurst as he was sacked after 15 games.
Jackson found his opportunities restricted under new coach Paul Lambert as Town finished bottom of the Championship and slipped into the third-tier for the first time since 1957.
He concluded the season with four goals from 38 games, making him Town’s second-highest scorer in the 2018/19 campaign.
PURPLE PATCH AND TRANSFER INTEREST
It was a different story at the start of 2019/20 season, however, as Jackson scored four goals in the opening six games in the third division – including a stunning late victory against AFC Wimbledon at home.
He hit it off with summer signing James Norwood as they built a nice striking partnership. He was clearly suited to playing in a front two.
The two had seven goals apiece by the end of October as Lambert’s team sat top of League One, but the wheels quickly fell off for Town as they ended up in 11th position when the table was settled on a points-per-game system following the Covid-19 restriction in March 2020.
A return of 11 goals and seven assists attracted interest from elsewhere and saw him reject a new deal. He was associated with Coventry City, Peterborough Unitd and AFC Bournemouth. The latter made a proposal estimated to be in the region of £2m.
Those proposals were rebuffed, so the Bradford-born forward stayed at the club for his third season. However, he had to sit out the start of the long-awaited 2020/21 campaign after testing positive for Covid-19.BOMBED TO THE UNDER-23’S AND COMEBACK
Jackson didn’t have a run of starts until December, but at this point, Town’s season was reaching a crossroads once again. He was sent off barely 10 minutes into a critical showdown against Sunderland in January 2021, leading the attacker to apologise after the 1-0 defeat.
That wasn’t enough for irate manager Lambert, who dubbed the tackle ‘horrendous’. The forward was then the subject of loan interest from Huddersfield Town on deadline day, but the Terriers left their query much too late.
Jackson was subsequently sent to train with the under-23’s by Lambert alongside another first-teamer Jon Nolan, with the Scot saying: ‘They’ve let the club down, they’ve let themselves down and they’ve let their team mates down.’
That saw the attacker resort to Twitter to insist: ‘My will to win and perform for my club will never be questioned’.
Lambert was dismissed at the end of February and replaced by Paul Cook, who brought Jackson back to the first-team fold as he started five of the remaining 13 games of the campaign when Town limped to a ninth-place finish.
They took up their option to extend Jackson’s contract by an additional 12 months, but Cook swiftly put him on the transfer list as part of his severe ‘Demolition Man’ reconstruction which saw more than 20 players depart Portman Road that summer. EVOULUTION UNDER MCKENNA AND NEW DEAL
Jackson ended up staying at Portman Road since no takers could be found for him, but he was now competing with new acquisitions Macauley Bonne and Joe Pigott in the lone-striker role.
Jackson was restricted to just five cup starts in the first part of the 2021/22 campaign before Cook was ousted in December. New manager Kieran McKenna promised a new slate for everyone.
The Northern Irishman hauled Jackson in from the cold and handed him a surprise start in the 2-0 win against AFC Wimbledon, which was the true springboard for him. He went on to score three goals in only six games.
Speaking after his man-of-the-match showing against Burton Albion, Jackson said: “I’d been out of the team for a long spell and at times it looked as though I would probably leave, but thankfully the gaffer has come in and given me the opportunity.
“He (McKenna) wants me to do what I do well. Other supervisors in the past have focussed on what I can’t do rather than what I can accomplish. I feel like a footballer again.”
Unfortunately, his season was brutally cut short due to a hamstring injury sustained against Portsmouth, although he was offered a fresh two-year deal in May 2022.
PROMOTIONS AND DEPARTURE
Over the previous two seasons, Jackson has been an important member of the team, frequently shining off the bench as Town pushed to consecutive promotions.
He constantly delivered full effort, which was powered by a top attitude. He played numerous roles under McKenna, who converted him from a striker to an exciting right winger.
His pace and power were vital up against fatigued defenders in the latter parts of games and rapidly became one of McKenna’s hallmark game-changing super subs.
Jackson grabbed three goals in 33 appearances as Town gained promotion to the Premier League and said: “After all we’ve gone through over the previous five or six years, to be here, standing here today announcing we’ve achieved promotion to the Premier League is incredible.”
The club confirmed its retained list that Jackson will be one of four players to leave this summer, bringing his six-year career at Portman Road to an end.
On departing the club, he said: “To leave my time at the club on such a high, with a wonderful bunch of players and a manager who has always backed me, is something I’ll always be proud of.
“Ipswich Town will always have a special place in my heart and I wish everyone well for the future.”
Jackson exits the club after making 199 appearances for Town, scoring 28 goals.
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