Does somebody need to change Kayden Jackson’s Wikipedia page?
The 28-year-old is listed as a striker but, increasingly, he’s looking more and more like a right-winger.
That probably makes him a ‘wide forward’ in reality, but Saturday’s FA Cup draw with Burnley highlighted just how well the former Accrington man has adapted to a new role.
He was signed as a central striker by Paul Hurst in 2018 and was given the famous No.9 shirt at Portman Road but, now with 19 on his back, he has more strings to his bow having just passed the 150-game mark in a Town shirt.
Jackson always gives maximum effort, fuelled by a top attitude. That’s a given with him. But his display against Vincent Kompany’s side saw him offer a significant threat down the right, deliver some dangerous crosses and play a vital role in Town’s defensive effort against the Championship leaders.
Wes Burns has been locked in as Ipswich’s right-sided attacker since he joined the club in the summer of 2021 but, in Jackson, Town now have an alternative.
He’s being used there more and more by Kieran McKenna, a manager who clearly trusts Jackson and brought him back in from the cold almost as soon as he took over as manager.
McKenna has used Jackson in a central striker role in games where he feels Ipswich need to stretch the opposition and will certainly be used there again on certain occasions.
But in more technical games you could argue he doesn’t bring the same level of control as Freddie Ladapo or George Hirst can or the same ability to bring team-mates into play from a central role. In the bad Ipswich teams of recent years, prior to McKenna’s arrival, he’s often looked isolated as a lone striker, in a role he’s not suited to. He was on a hiding to nothing.
But Jackson has spoken of how McKenna 'wants me to do what I do well instead of concentrating on what I can’t do’ and it’s this approach which has helped get the best out of him and, perhaps, fuelled his switch to the flanks.
In recent outings there you could certainly say he had long spells where he was the focal point of the team’s attack, despite playing wide.
"I’ve never got any doubts about what he gives," McKenna said of Jackson after Saturday’s game.
"Football’s a game of opinions. For me, he always steps up for the team when we need him, especially in big games against difficult opponents."
Jackson’s not perfect, of course. None of these Ipswich Town players are.
But he’s certainly made improvements – much of them under McKenna and all of them making him more and more suitable for a role on the right flank.
He’s still the same pacy runner Ipswich signed from Accrington back in 2018 but he’s much more in control of what he’s doing now. He times his runs better, is stronger and knows when top speed is required and when to cool his jets.
Jackson was almost ‘too fast’ at times in the early days of his Ipswich career but that rawness has gone and he’s utilised much better.
Don’t underestimate his defensive contributions, either. He has an excellent engine and can get up-and-down throughout his time on the field and is getting better at covering with the right-sided defender.
But a big reason why he’s now so suited to a right-side role is the improvement in his crossing, which has been significant since his first couple of seasons in blue.
It's not always on point, just like Burns, Kyle Edwards, Marcus Harness or any of Ipswich’s other wide attackers. But Jackson is an effective crosser of the ball.
He played some good ones on Saturday, including early in the game when he picked out Hirst for a chance inside the box. He also, remember, crossed for Cameron Humphreys to score in the last round of the cup against Rotherham.
And think back to last season and the 3-0 home victory over Burton almost a year ago. That was a special afternoon for Jackson, who not only opened the scoring with an effort from outside the box, but served up goals two and three with good crosses. The first fed Burns from the left and the second was a special ball for Bersant Celina from the right.
It was after the victory over Burton that Jackson, pushed right to the fringes at Town by Pauls Lambert and Cook, declared he ‘felt like a footballer again’ and praised McKenna’s role in his rejuvenation.
“He empowers you,” Jackson said of his boss. “I’ve not had this feeling since I was at Accrington with John Coleman (before joining Town in 2018), when each week I went out there and felt on top of the world. Untouchable. The gaffer’s given me a bit of that feeling back.
“He (McKenna) wants me to do what I do well. Other managers in the past have concentrated on what I can’t do, rather than what I can do. That’s probably why I haven’t played at times and maybe haven’t been used to my strengths.
“He’s told me there aren’t many better in the league at playing on the shoulder and getting in behind.”
Jackson started wide on the left that day and has proven himself to be effective there, too. But it’s on the right where he now looks to be at home. Is it his position now? I'd argue it is.
The FA Cup has been hugely useful for Jackson this season, but is he now a viable alternative to Burns for league starts?
Well, he clearly has the trust of his manager and, with Town now having serious challengers for every position on the pitch, you can’t rule it out. Even if Burns did have an excellent game against Morecambe on Tuesday night.
It’s certainly a strong position for Town to be in.
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