Portadown Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of 22 year old English defender Oran Jackson.
Oran who hails from Milton Keynes was part of the MK Dons academy from under 10’s, progressing into the club’s development squad and going on to make his first team debut for the club in May 2016 as a substitute against Nottingham Forest.
Jackson would then have loan spells at National League sides Hemel Hempstead Town and Brackley Town before leaving MK Dons in 2019. He would then go on to join Icelandic side ÍBV in 2019 before returning to the UK later that year and joining Billericay Town, he has most recently been with Southern Football League Premier Central Division side St Ives Town who he joined in September 2020.
Portadown manager Matthew Tipton had the following to say on Oran’s arrival
I’m really pleased to get the signing of Oran over the line. He’s someone who first came onto our radar a year ago & we’ve kept in contact regularly over the last few months. He’s comfortable on the ball but also knows how to defend & has good athleticism about him.
While Portadown’s newest recruit Oran Jackson had this to say on his move to Shamrock Park
My move to Portadown is something that has been on my mind for while now, from January of 2021 actually where I spoke quite a bit to the manager and Ben Tilney, who’s a old team mate of mine, about coming over but with Covid being so unpredictable it wasn’t the right time to make the move. Since then however me and the manager got back in contact and came to an agreement.
I would describe myself as a very versatile player, being able to play anywhere across the back four/three and centre midfielder. My first instinct when stepping on to the field is to be a leader and be vocal in doing so. I’m very composed when playing from the back and can cover the pitch quickly with my big strides and love to tackle and block shots.
The things that attracted me to Portadown were the history the club holds in Northern Ireland and also the way Matthew spoke about what the club is trying to achieve and where he wants to take Portadown, I want to be a part of what’s coming next. How close the Portadown community is is also a massive thing for me in a football club.
I cannot wait to get started and meet the team, it’s almost frustrating and I’m just keeping my head down and working on my off season program in the mean time until the first day of pre season.