The Imps 3-2 win this weekend was fairly breathless; with so much happening, it was hard to keep track. Also, with it being a home fixture, many of you may have missed a key contract update that was revealed post-game.
Mark Kennedy’s interviews are often revealing, and he’s a man who I think has grown into post-match speaking. He doesn’t get drawn on referees, he rarely (if ever) criticises an individual and he attributes praise to his staff, rather than himself. He also gave a key contract update after the Port Vale win, and very few have seized upon it, including me.
Adam Jackson is out of contract this summer. The 28-year-old arrived from Hibernian in the Covid summer and is approaching the end of his third season with the Imps. It hasn’t all been plain sailing; he suffered three bouts of concussion last season and is approaching 100 appearances. To get to the 100, he would need to be here next season.
Will he be? It seems he will if Mark Kennedy has his way. Picking over the game on Saturday, Mark made the following comments to Michael Hortin when asked about the defender’s future.
Speaking about his winning goal, Mark finished by saying Jacko had been his Player of the Year. That prompted Michael to ask if he wanted the popular figure to remain with the Imps next season.
“Yeah, 100%,” replied our head coach. “We’ve made that known to Adam as well. He has to do what’s right for himself and his family. He’s an intelligent man, I think he really enjoys it here and he knows what we think of him here.
“I think Adam staying here would be a good career move for him, and obviously, that’s what we want.”
So there you have it – Adam Jackson is a player we want for next season, and there’s no surprise. He is looking likely to beat his previous number of league appearances (28 in 2020/21), as he’s already on 26 with five matches to go. Bear in mind, he has been sent off this season (against Ipswich), so were it not for suspensions, he would already be there. Also, he picks up very few bookings for such a rugged figure – the only other card he’s been shown in League One was away at Bolton.
I think he’s a great character. I met Adam at the Priory event earlier in the year, and he’s down to earth, approachable and grounded. He was asked by the kids that day if he’d stay at the club, and his response was, ‘if I was offered a new deal, I’d probably sign it’. It seems the deal could well be going on the table, and, if it’s the right one for him and his family, I certainly hope he signs it and looks to get himself towards 150 Imps appearances over the next couple of years.
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