One of the reasons Jason Euell accepted George Burley’s invitation to join Saints on a free transfer from Middlesbrough was the fact that old friend, Kelvin Davis, was at the club. The pair had forged a friendship when at Wimbledon together and it was there that Jason developed into a respected Premiership striker of repute. Despite the fact he was capable of scoring 20 goals a season his versatility meant at both his subsequent clubs, Charlton and Middlesbrough, he was often used in left- or central-midfield and in his first season at St Marys it was often in this role that George Burley picked him. In his second season– he had signed on a two-year contract – Jason dislocated a shoulder early on and then struggled to reclaim a first team place as Jan Poortvliet chose to stick with the youngsters. When Mark Wotte took over the thrice capped Jamaican international was reintroduced to the team and indeed his self-confessed ability –

“my strength is holding the ball up and helping to bring other people into play”

– did pep up performances for a while but the eventual fight against relegation was lost and Jason, now a free agent, was able to desert a listing ship with the minimum of guilt. In 2009-10, safely on the Blackpool life raft and wearing the captain’s hat, he was able to play no small part in the Seasiders’ unlikely but successful pursuit of a Premiership place via the play-offs.

He hardly featured in their top-flight season, though, and went on loan to Championship Doncaster. When Blackpool promptly returned to that Division, Jason went back to The Valley. Deaf in his left ear he has lately become an ambassador for the National Deaf Awareness in Sport Alliance project. In January 2011 the Sun reported that he had been declared bankrupt after being scammed in a property venture, in which his signature had been forged. Having got to know Gareth Southgate through their time together at Middlesbrough, Jason was invited to join the England set up as a coach to the U18s in 2018. In 2021 he accepted the opportunity to join Nigel Adkins’s coaching staff at The Valley and stayed on working under Johnie Jackson replaced Adkins in October 2021.