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At 11.30pm on Tuesday, and with half an hour left of the extended transfer window, Paul Hartley finally got his man when word came through that all the paperwork had been done, and Jackson Longridge had become our tenth signing since the manager returned to the club.

With Brody Paterson out for the season, and Connor Scully injured, Paul needed a left-back, but he also needed to free up a loan to make that happen. Kyle McClelland’s return to Hibernian made space, but it was a race against time to get both deals completed, and it was a big relief for the boss when confirmation came.

It meant the twenty-seven year old was free to join us on loan from Livingston, and able to play his part in trying to retain our place in the Championship for next season:

“As soon as I got the phone call and heard Cove wanted me on board, I was keen to get it done as quickly as possible. I’ve played up here before, liked what I’d seen of the set-up, and I couldn’t wait to get it over the line.

“There were so many calls that night, but it got sorted, and that’s me fully focused now on helping the team get up the league and hopefully finish the season strongly.”

“The manager was great when I spoke to him, really made me feel wanted, and as a player that gives you such confidence. Now it’s up to me to show him and everyone else at the club what I can do.”

Jackson has picked up experience at all levels in the game, and he knows all too well the demands of the Championship. That is something he hopes will help the team in the coming weeks:

“The Championship is a really tough league to be in. From my point of view, I hope my past knowledge of it will help the boys. I’ve played in this division, I’ve won promotion out of it, so hopefully I can bring something to the group.”

“You can’t afford to look too far ahead, and when you’re down at the bottom you’re fighting for every point. You’ve got to stick together, and I’ve already seen it’s a good group here, both from the journey up in the minibus and in my first training session.

“It’s important for me to settle in quickly, and the boys have made it easy, although I was a bit worried seeing that Morgyn Neill was driving the bus! I know Morgyn from my first time at Livi, and he’s the type of character you need when you’re up against it. I already feel as if there’s a bond there, and that’s what you need on and off the pitch.”

Jackson will wear the number twenty shirt and is in line for his debut against Dundee at the weekend.

Everyone at Balmoral would like to welcome Jackson to Cove Rangers, and to wish him well for the rest of the season.

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