Jute, Jam, Journalism and Jackson

Opponents discover Jackson is famous in Dundee

Jackson Longridge is in danger of becoming banned from the City of Discovery after scoring important goals for Dunfermline Athletic against both Dundee teams in the last fortnight.

He felt that his team had prepared well to be able to win the opening league match of the Championship season at Tannadice on Saturday.

“We have worked on a different formation that we tried to get to grips with in the first half. The gaffer obviously changed in the second half to our normal formation that we have been working on in pre season.

“It is always good to get off to winning ways, get the momentum going for winning, I really enjoyed playing in that.

“I felt that we dominated most of the match. I couldn’t remember chances they had in the first half other than one from a setpiece.

“We created chances, we passed it well and just worked on everything that we had done in training. It went to plan really and ended up getting the result in the end.”

That result came even after letting Dundee United score the opening goal just before the interval. The 23 year old wing back added:-

“It was me who gave the free kick away and it was my man who scored so it wasn’t too good. But I managed to get a goal and help us get into a 2-1 lead so I kind of redeemed myself.

“It just came to me and I just gambled and took the chance. I do that a lot, the gaffer and Sandy they tell me to get forward as much as I can. It just fell for me and I just saw the goal there and headed it, thankfully it went in.

“We will take positives out of the win and look at the negatives but coming to Dundee, a big club where we wanted to compete. I am sure that United will be up there challenging in the top four so it is good to get a start on them with the 3-2 win.”

Only once before have both Longridge brothers have scored on the same day, on Saturday 21st April this year. Jackson scored for Livingston in their 3-0 win over Brechin City while big brother, Louis scored at Dumbarton in Falkirk’s 5-2 win - but this is certainly the first they have ever scored on the same day for Dunfermline, Jackson confessed:-

“I was hoping that it would stay 2-1 so that I could take the glory for the victory but he managed to get a goal and it was a good goal as well so I will give him it.”

Despite scoring a goal former Par Fraser Airdwas disappointed that United lost their first home game of the season. He told the media:-

“We wanted to get off to a good start. The boys are obviously disappointed. We know we can play better than that, giving away three goals in the second-half just wasn’t good enough.

“But we can’t do anything about it now, we just need to look at it and train hard again during the week, and prepare for a tough game for us away at Queens next weekend.”

Fraser watched the first half from the subs bench before coming on at the start of the second. He commented:-

“I don’t think we played particularly well in the first-half, and neither did they. But we took a 1-0 lead in at half-time and we were thinking defend well and maybe nick another goal on the counter-attack, or whatever.

“They were obviously going to come into the game, but to give away three goals in the second-half just wasn’t good enough.”

Taking them me to knit as a team was not something the 23 year old was willing to use as an excuse:-

“We’ve been together for almost two months now. We had good spells and we had bad spells, but at home we need to dominate the game more and take our chances when we get them, and put the game to bed when we go 1-0 up.”

After playing in every game so far this season, Fraser was really disappointed not to start the match:-

“That was the manager’s decision. He had a vision in his head and he was going to go with it. Coming on at half-time I tried to bring something different to the game. I was involved and got my goal but it amounted to nothing in the end.

“I came here to play football and players aren’t happy when they’re sitting on the bench. But I’ll get another week’s training under my belt and hopefully I’ve done enough in the second-half to start next weekend.”

The reception from Pars fans didn’t go unnoticed, he closed:-
“That was always going to happen - it’ll probably be the same when I go to Falkirk. It’s always the same. But, at the end of the day, I’m a Dundee United player and I’ll do everything I need to for the club.”

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