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How Fax got Jacko at second attempt
Lets talk about Michael Jackson
No, not that one, the more important one who played for Halifax....
In fact it's 16 years ago next week that the second rower signed his contract and transfer forms on the bonnet of Fax football director Robert Atkinson's car up at Lancaster University.
"Jacko" was coaching at an RFL elite training camp there.
Jackson had been a target when he was playing for Hunslet in the season that Halifax had gained promotion in 1991.
And they should have been in pole position to sign him with former colleagues like Jimmy Irvine and Warren Wilson already on the playing staff.
But he slipped through the net and ended up at Wakefield and immediately rubbed salt into the wound by scoring a couple of tries as Trinity won at Thrum Hall in the Yorkshire Cup.
Roger Millward ended up with the signings of Paul Rhodes, Gary Lord, John Fieldhouse and Greg Pearce as consolation.
Fast forward to 1993.
A new coach is in charge at Halifax in the shape of Malcom Reilly and he is casting covetous looks towards Belle Vue, Wakefield.
His main target is stand-off Nigel Wright but Jackson is also in his sights and he wouldn't mind one of their centres like Richard Goddard or Wayne Flynn either.....
One dramatic night would have seemed to scupper any chances of signing any of these players however.
It was a Wednesday evening in mid-June and Reilly turned up at a staff function at Jenny Dee's at Salterhebble in a foul mood.
Wakefield had, in his eyes, reneged on a deal to part with Wright for 140,000 after the late intervention of Wigan.
"I'll never deal with them again," he stormed.
Pragmatism overcame his early anger though and Wakey were tempted by the thought of a tribunal which eventually yielded them 80,000 for Jackson's signature.
He joined a squad also boosted by the arrivals of David Boyd, Paul Anderson, Lee Harland, Michael Hagan, John Schuster, Steve Lay and Steve Hampson as Reilly dramatically altered the composition of the team.
This was to be his side, not Millward's!
What he hadn't perhaps have reckoned with was Jackson's groin injury sustained in a meaningless pre-season friendly against Huddersfield.
That put Jackson out of the team until October and before long he had earned, perhaps a trifle harshly, the nickname of "sicknote".
He actually managed 99 games in five seasons which bears comparison with the likes of Dave Larder!
And he managed 27 appearances in the troubled 1997 season when it was time to stand up and be counted.
At least that original injury gave the opportunity to temporarily concentrate on a new career as a model for mail order catalogues!
A lot of myths exist about "Jacko".
A fitness fanatic he was alleged to train too much and did indeed spend a lot of time in the gym at Dewsbury owned by former Bradford forward Dick Jasiewicz.
And he was alleged to be too much in the thrall of legal pills and potions.
True he was a virtual teetotaller and explored all the legal vitamin supplements possible but was only as dedicated as the likes of Paul Rowley.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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