COAST OFFICE

Axed by Dons... but Jackson's riding high with the Mariners Down Under

- ROSS HEPPENSTALL

EYEBROWS were raised when A-League champions Central Coast Mariners turned to Mark Jackson after Nick Montgomery quit for Hibernian last September.

Former Sheffield United midfielder Montgomery led the New South Wales side to a stunning 6-1 Grand Final win (celebrating, below) against Melbourne City with the youngest team and smallest budget in the competition.

Jackson, meanwhile, was sacked by MK Dons following their relegation from League One last season but landed the Mariners job and headed Down Under.

Significantly, the ex-Leeds and Scunthorpe defender has steered the Mariners to second place in the ALeague and they have lost just one of their last 15 games in all competitions. They are three points off the top with a game in hand on Wellington Phoenix, their opponents on April 6.