Jackson happy to own Leeds jersey

MARK JACKSON made sure of one last souvenir to remind him of his days at Leeds - Harry Kewell’s number 10 shirt.

Both Jackson and Kewell made their Leeds debuts on the same March day in 1996 but since then their careers have gone in remarkably different directions.

Australia international Kewell is now a household name, earns more than £40,000 per week and has made no secret of his desire to one day play in either Italy or Spain.

Barnsley-born Jackson has probably long since been forgotten by Leeds fans, can only dream of earning £40,000 per week, and as for playing in Italy or Spain - maybe on a beach when he is on holiday.

They found themselves on the same pitch again yesterday, except on opposing sides. But it was Kewell and Leeds who ultimately managed to avoid an FA Cup upset, taking their place in today’s fourth round draw with a 2-0 win at Glanford Park courtesy of a penalty from Mark Viduka and a fine finish from Eirik Bakke.

Jackson, though, was still smiling after the final whistle as he joked: “Harry’s improved a lot since we first played together. But I think everybody knows he is now a world-class player. To be honest, I’m just happy I managed to get his shirt. He was quite willing to give it to me, and I really appreciated that.

“It was also good to see all the other lads again. I spoke to them before and after the game. We had a little chat, I was asking them how their families are and all that, and we reminisced over old times. It brought back memories.”

Scunthorpe certainly gave Leeds a rough ride and were unlucky to be trailing at the interval to Viduka’s penalty, and even after Bakke had added Leeds’ second in the 68th minute, the Iron refused to buckle.

Jackson is confident such a performance over the remainder of the season will ensure he fulfils his dream of promotion from the Third Division with Scunthorpe.

“We knew what to expect with Leeds. They are a top Premier League side with some world-class players and it showed because in the second half they just picked it up when they really wanted to,” added the 25-year-old defender.

“We’ve nothing to be ashamed of and we’re not downbeat. We know we went out and gave it our best and did ourselves proud. We gave them a tough time and we have to be pleased with that. Even after the second goal we still didn’t die. We still had belief and stuck to our guns.”