Former Leeds United coach wins Manager of the Month prize in new role after huge unbeaten run

The former Leeds U21s manager has settled in well in Australia, leading his Central Coast side to fourth place in the A-League Men’s standings despite a difficult start to the 2023/24 season.

Most recently, the Mariners defeated rivals Melbourne City 2-1, extending their unbeaten streak to 11 games across all competitions.

On Tuesday, the club announced that Mark Jackson had been named the Isuzu UTE A-League Coach of the Month for December.

“16 goals in 5 games while remaining undefeated, contributing to our current 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions! Congratulations, Jacko!”

Jackson worked his way up from guiding the younger age groups at Thorp Arch to being the U21s senior development coach at Leeds before joining Jesse Marsch’s backroom staff in 2021/22. The 46-year-old then left Elland Road in December 2022 to become the head coach of League One club MK Dons, who were in relegation peril at the time. Despite taking the side up one place in the table during his six-month stint, Jackson was unable to save the Dons from relegation and left the club at the end of the season.

The ex-Leeds defender was not unemployed for long, having replaced Nick Montgomery at A-League champions Central Coast last year, where he has overseen the Mariners’ current 11-game unbeaten streak.

He is aided in Australia by former Leeds analyst Andres Clavijo, who also served as Marcelo Bielsa’s translator during his final season at Elland Road.