Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PRIDE SPURS ON JACKSON
Moneyslane boss is so determined to do well for the club he loves
MATTHEW Jackson believes Moneyslane are building the foundations for a successful season after he took up the managerial reins in the summer.
Jackson was promoted from the reserves following the departure of Stevie Coulter during pre-season.
A former manager of the club’s third team, the 27-year-old has gradually progressed through the ranks at Moneyslane, and is now at the helm of a club etched into his DNA.
Jackson is also a former player at Jubilee Park, having been on Moneyslane’s books since the tender age of 16.
“I played for Moneyslane and then went to Banbridge Rangers before returning when I was about 17. I have essentially been at the club since I was 16, and I am 27 now,” he told Match on Tuesday.
“I know what it means to play for Moneyslane. It’s the pride in the shirt. The badge on the front means more than your name on the back, that’s the philosophy.
“I am trying to create that team that fights for each other, more than anything.”
Continuity has been key for Moneyslane who have placed their faith in a manager who knows what it means to represent the club.
Jackson (below) managed Moneyslane’s third team before earning promotion to the reserves, and now he is the man charged with overseeing the club’s first team in Intermediate A.
“I started off managing the Swifts about six or seven years ago,” he added.
“We got promoted the first year I was in charge and reached a cup final. We went on. good run that year and our reserve team manager stepped down, and I went into that role for three years.
“In the first year we built a team, and the second year was curtailed due to
Covid. We were joint top of the Reserve Championship with
Coagh United, and they were awarded the title on goal difference.
“And then during preseason this year, I was asked if I
would be interested in taking the hot-seat after Stevie Coulter (above) left.
“I have grown up through the club, and it has allowed me to learn on the job. I had to stop playing football when I was 21 due to knee injuries, so this was a way of staying in the local game, and about the club that I love.
“There is pressure now, but it is the club that I love and I want to do well because of that. A lot of the fellas I have brought up from the reserves are local boys and they want to see the club do well.
“It has been a building process, and I tried to build a reserve squad previously who could step into the first team. And that has paid dividends for this season.”
Moneyslane lie 11th in the table following a testing start to the season, but are currently on a five-game unbeaten run which included Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Markethill Swifts.
“We are on a five-game unbeaten run, but there are some games we should have won instead of drawing,” Jackson added.
“In the last two games we had chances to win both. But I am sure the opposition would say the same.
“This season as a whole has been difficult, and we have a lot of boys who have stepped up from the reserves. We always knew they were good enough, it was just getting them used to the league.
“We knew it would take time, but things are starting to click and we are building that team ethos in there. Hopefully that can continue.
“There are some games recently, which if we had played them at the start of the season, we would probably have drawn them.
“We have started adopting a resilient mentality, and hopefully we can start turning draws into wins.
“The players aren’t happy coming in with a draw, and that says a lot about how far we’ve come in a short space of time. They want to see three points from the performances they’re putting in.
“The performances have been good the past six weeks.”
There is pressure now, but it is the club that I love and I want to do well because of that..