Jonathan Paul Macken (born 7 September 1977) is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

manager and former professional player who played as a striker. He is currently manager of

Witton Albion Witton may refer to one of several places in England: *Witton, historic name of an area of Northwich, Cheshire **Witton Albion F.C. *Witton Gilbert, County Durham *Witton-le-Wear, County Durham *Witton, an area of Blackburn, Lancashire * Witton, B ...

. He began his career with

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

side

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

in 1995 but was released two years later after failing to make a first-team appearance. He joined

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

for £250,000 and managed to notch up 63 goals in 189 league matches until his departure to

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

in 2002. Macken eventually made his first Premier League appearance for City. He only managed to score seven goals in 51 appearances during his three years with City but notably scored against United in the

Manchester derby The Manchester derby refers to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, east Manchester, while United play at Old Trafford in the borough o ...

in 2004. He signed for

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

in 2005 and while there, moved to

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

on loan. In 2007, he moved again to

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

but was loaned out to

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

after failing to make an impact at

Pride Park Pride Park is a business park on the outskirts of the city centre of Derby, England. Developed in the 1990s, It covers 80 hectares of former industrial land between the River Derwent and railway lines. Pride Park Stadium and Derby Arena are both ...

where he failed to score in 11 league appearances. He joined Barnsley permanently in 2008 and moved again to

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

two years later. He was released by the Saddlers at the end of the 2011–12 season and joined

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...

side

Northwich Victoria {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

, before joining

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

briefly in 2013. He has one international cap for the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

, which he earned in 2004.

Playing career

Preston North End

Born in

Blackley Blackley is a suburban area of Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is approximately north of Manchester city centre, on the River Irk. History The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The name derives from t ...

, Greater Manchester, Macken began his career at

and signed as a professional in 1996, but never played a first-team game for them and left on 22 July 1997 in a £250,000 move to

in 1997. He scored over 70 goals at Preston, twice winning the

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...

award. In 1999–2000, under

David Moyes David William Moyes ( ; born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manches ...

, 25 goals from Macken saw Preston win the Second Division title.

Manchester City

Following this success, Macken moved to fellow Division One side

in February 2002, for a fee of £5 million and was part of the team that ended the season winning promotion to the Premier League. He is most remembered at City for scoring the winner in the 4-3 comeback win against

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...

in the

2003–04 FA Cup The 2003–04 FA Cup was the 123rd staging of England and the world's oldest football competition, the FA Cup. The competition began on 23 August 2003, with the lowest-ranked of the entrants competing in the Extra Preliminary round. In the Third Ro ...

on 4 February. However, he was severely hampered by a succession of injuries, and only made 27 league starts in over three years. This downturn in his career brought about a move away from Manchester and Macken joined

in the summer of 2005 for £1.1 million.

Crystal Palace

Initially, Macken did not get into the Palace team, and was behind England international

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

and Republic of Ireland international

Clinton Morrison Clinton Hubert Morrison (''né'' Chambers; born 14 May 1979) is a former professional footballer who played as a forward. Since his retirement from playing he works as a pundit. Morrison began his career at local side Crystal Palace in 1998, f ...

. An injury to Johnson gave him a chance, initially, but then he himself got injured. His own replacement,

Dougie Freedman Douglas Alan Freedman (born 25 May 1974) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is the current sporting director of Crystal Palace. Freedman played as a striker, primarily for Crystal Palace and also had spells as ...

showed good form, and despite a recovery from injury, Macken did not get back in the team. However, things turned upwards from there. Poor form by Morrison in the run-up to the Christmas period gave Macken his chance, and he scored his first competitive goal for Palace in the game at

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

, on 14 October 2005 (he had previously scored in a pre-season friendly), and scored again on 26 December, at

, although he was later sent off. More injuries then continued to limit his chances, and the partnership with Johnson continued to alternate between Morrison and Dougie Freedman, with many fans voicing their discontent that Macken was not living up to his price-tag. Johnson was sold to Everton, prompting the return of Sándor Torghelle to the club from his loan at

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

, creating speculation that Macken may be leaving the club, but the appointment of

Peter Taylor Peter Taylor may refer to: Arts * Peter Taylor (writer) (1917–1994), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction * Peter Taylor (film editor) (1922–1997), English film editor, winner of an Academy Award for Film Editing Politic ...

as manager appeared to silence this. Taylor, a known fan of Macken, had reportedly tried to sign him for Hull, while he was in charge there. Torghelle left permanently for Greece, but again his playing opportunities were limited. On deadline-day of the Summer 2006 transfer window, he made a further move to

The Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

, this time on loan, being handed the number 27 shirt. The loan was finally agreed when Ipswich agreed to pay an increased proportion of his wages. Macken scored three goals for the Tractor Boys before returning to

Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...

Derby County

On 31 January 2007 Macken joined

on a free transfer. Derby were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2006–07 season, but he failed to win a regular place, or even score for The Rams, and was loaned out to

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

side

for two months in November 2007. Although he was recalled on 27 December 2007 he eventually signed a permanent deal with the Tykes on 28 January 2008 for an undisclosed six-figure fee.

Barnsley

Macken initially joined Barnsley on 1 November 2007, on loan from

. He made his debut against the club that made his name,

. He remained goalless for his first nine games, despite having produced a string of fine performances. On 22 December, he scored his first Barnsley goal against promotion chasing

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

after a fine run and shot. The goals were flowing for Macken and he notched a brace against

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

on 26 December. First a header from a

Martin Devaney Martin Thomas Devaney (born 1 June 1980) is a football coach and former professional midfielder who was most recently caretaker manager of EFL Championship club Barnsley. Born of Irish parents, Devaney has played for the Ireland under-16s. Caree ...

corner. His second goal came courtesy of a

Kayode Odejayi Olukayode Ishmael "Kayode" Odejayi (born 21 February 1982) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker, most recently for Guiseley. He is a former Nigeria international. Club career Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Odejayi starte ...

knock-down from another Devaney cross. He then returned to Derby after

Paul Jewell Paul Jewell (born 28 September 1964) is an English football manager and former player, who was most recently director of football at Swindon Town. Jewell began his playing career with Liverpool, continued at Wigan Athletic and concluded in a t ...

took over. He made a couple of substitute appearances for the Rams but his return to Barnsley was secured on 28 January 2008 for £200,000. The next day, he marked his return with a goal in the home game with

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...

. He then scored the second goal in a 2–1 win over

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

on 9 February, and also scored in a big win over

on 11 March. He was released by Barnsley after the 2009–10 season and left when his contract expired in June.

Walsall

On 19 August 2010, League One club Walsall signed Macken on a one-year deal with the option of a further year. On 9 May 2012 it was announced that Macken had been released by Walsall.

Northwich Victoria

On 9 October 2012 it was reported that Macken had signed for

. He made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw at Newcastle Town, as an 80th-minute substitute, that evening.

Stockport County

On 31 January 2013, it was announced by Stockport County that Jon Macken had signed until the end of the 2012–13 season on a free transfer. Along with Mark Cullen and Jake Fowler, he was the first signing by new manager Darije Kalezić. Macken made his Stockport debut as a second-half substitute in County's 3–2 home win over

Nuneaton Town Nuneaton Borough Football Club is an English football club that is based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The men's 1st team competes in the , the seventh tier of English football. In 1889, Nuneaton St. Nicholas FC was the first team in Nuneaton to ...

on 2 February. He scored his first goal for the club against rivals

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...

on 30 March. Following their relegation from the

Conference National The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...

, he was released.

Bamber Bridge

On 24 February 2015, Macken came out of retirement to sign for Bamber Bridge. He made his debut in a 2–1 defeat to

Darlington 1883 Darlington Football Club is an association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League North, at the sixth tier of English football. The club was founded in 1 ...

on 28 February.

International career

England U20

Macken made his debut for the

England U20 England national under-20 football team, also known as England Under-20s or England U20(s), represents England in association football at an under-20 age level and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in En ...

national team in June 1997; he replaced Danny Murphy in the 64th minute of the win against the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

during the

1997 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, known as the 1997 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Youth Championship for sponsorship purposes, was the 11th staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from 16 June to 5 July 1997 in Malaysia. It was th ...

in Malaysia. He picked up a late booking in the 5−0 win at the

Larkin Stadium Tan Sri Dato' Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium, also known as Larkin Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Larkin, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 30,000 people and opened in 1964. It ...

. This turned out to be his only cap.

Republic of Ireland

Despite being born in England and representing England at youth level, Macken was cleared to play for the

in 2004; he qualified through his grandparents, who were born in

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...

. On 18 August 2004, he made his debut when he replaced

in the 63rd minute of the 1−1 draw with

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...

Management career

In September 2017, Macken was appointed as manager of non-league club Radcliffe Borough. He left the club in January 2020 citing differences over the future direction of the club. He was appointed head coach at

Colne Colne () is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. Located northeast of Nelson, north-east of Burnley, east of Preston and west of Leeds. The town should not be confused with the unrelated Colne Val ...

in December 2021.

Honours

Preston North End *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

: 1999–2000 Derby County *

Football League Championship play-offs The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

Awards *Football League Second Division Team of the Year: 1999–2000 *Preston North End Players' Player of the Year: 1999–2000, 2000–01 *Preston North End Young Player of the Year: 1999–2000 *Preston North End Player of the Year: 2000–01

References

External links

Jon Macken profile
at barnsleyfc.co.uk * {{DEFAULTSORT:Macken, Jon 1977 births Living people Footballers from Manchester People from Blackley English footballers Association football forwards Derby County F.C. players Republic of Ireland association footballers Manchester United F.C. players Preston North End F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Ipswich Town F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Northwich Victoria F.C. players Stockport County F.C. players Bamber Bridge F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players British people of Irish descent Republic of Ireland international footballers England youth international footballers Radcliffe F.C. managers Colne F.C. managers English football managers

Playing career

Preston North End

Manchester City

Crystal Palace

Derby County

Barnsley

Walsall

Northwich Victoria

Stockport County

Bamber Bridge

International career

England U20

Republic of Ireland

Management career

Honours

See also

References

External links