We’ve been talking about Jackson

Livingston’s Longridge leaves to attempt back to back promotions to the Premiership

Jackson Longridge has left newly promoted Livingston to sign a two year contract at Dunfermline. He explained that he had other options to join Championship clubs and there was also a huge possibility that he would have stayed at Livvy:-

“When the manager left that persuaded me to jump ship as well then. Livvy has done everything for me over the three seasons that I have been there. They have helped me progress lot as a player.

“We did back to back promotions which is unbelievable but now it is a different path for me to take. Thankfully Dunfermline has noticed me, reached out to me and I feel that I have made the right choice.”

Having celebrated achieving the tough ask of earning Premiership status through the play offs it is tough for Jackson to make the decision to stick with the Championship.

“I want to play at the highest level but it was just one of those tough decisions for me. I went on holiday last week and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“When I was taken in on Thursday, shown about the club and told what the club was about I feel everything is positive. I feel that I have made the right choice even though I could have been playing SPL next year against the top teams.”

The departure of David Hopkin from Livingston is a great disappointment to everyone at that club and the Pars new signing paid tribute to their successful manager:-

“He is a great guy, I got on well with him and what he has done is unbelievable. We are a tight group, a tight bunch and I don’t think anybody expected us to do what we have done.

“That is credit to the players, backroom staff and everybody to do with the club really but him going I feel is a big loss for the club going forward. You never know they be an upset and do well in the SPL, I hope they do even though I have left.”

So Jackson will set off in the new season trying to win promotion out of the Championship for the second successive season and put his Premiership debut on hold for a year:-

“I want to make it two in a row. Dunfermline are a strong team and one that I would suspect will be pushing for the SPL. Hopefully I can do it again, it would be amazing for me and the club and I will still get my chance to play in the SPL.

“I am looking forward to the season starting, I am excited and I am buzzing to have signed. It is a new challenge, I just hope that everything goes positively, I can play a lot of games and be winning. Hopefully adding some quality to the team will help them get promotion.”

The 23 year old defender was virtually ever present for Livingston playing 45 of their 50 matches. Ironically he sat out two matches against a Falkirk team that included his elder brother Louis but the pair were opponents in the 0-0 draw between the sides at the Tony Macaroni Arena on 17 March. Jackson laughed about the prospect and that experience playing against him.

“I kicked him a few times, he is more attacking and I am more defensive. He is a good player and will be a good addition to the club. It will be exciting to see how we link up or argue on the pitch. It will be a first.”

The Longridge family will no longer need to pick sides and can be re-unified supporting Dunfermline Athletic.

“We usually ask them who they are choosing and out them on the spot a bit but we can relax now they have just the one choice.

“Since we were little we have played all the way up. We know how each other play and so that is a positive. He is trickier that me, I am quite a runner.

“He is the older but I don’t know about dominant between the two of us. The two of us will link up well although I’m not sure if he will be playing on my side of the pitch. If he makes a mistake I will be on his back, if I make a mistake I’m sure that he will be on my back. I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

Jackson clearly caught Allan Johnston’s eye in the three games that he played against Dunfermline last season and the new signing said:-

“He wants to go more attacking football, that is me I like attacking, I like getting forward. Everything he has told me suits me down to a T.

“He said he can change the shape and play me further forward. That is my position - anywhere up the left I will play.”

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