Jackson jumps into Eagles role
DAVE Benigno has made his first major move as Nerang’s new Premier League coach, signing former Gold Coast City defender Tim Jackson.
After a season on the sidelines as Gold Coast United’s strength and conditioning coach, Jackson has agreed to join an Eagles outfit that surprised everyone to finish fifth in this year’s Premier League.
While Benigno has indicated Jackson may not be the last old head he brings to Glennon Park, he said his focus would be on promoting the club’s talented youth in 2019.
“It would be nice to set a good backbone to the team with an additional three, four or five NPL or Premier League quality players that can set some good structure for these young kids and have some experienced players around them. (But) I’m under no illusions that (the club) would like to bring the up-and-coming talent, the 16s, 17s, 18s, up through into the Premier League,” Benigno said.
“We really want to give the kids a red-hot chance of throwing them in with some good quality players that are hopefully willing to come to Nerang. (We just) want to be consistent and competitive in the league.
“I’d like to think there’s enough of a foundation there for me to build on.”
Jackson said he was looking forward to linking up with Benigno, who steered Surfers Paradise to the 2016 Premier League title.
“I have heard from a lot of people that Dave is great at getting the best out of his players, so when Dave asked if I wanted to be a part of his plans next year ... I said yes,” Jackson said.
“I have set some challenging goals for myself next season and I know I can achieve them with such a talented group of youth footballers around me.”