Watford Media Relations Officer Jackie Bass takes an hour out with Matt Jackson...

MATT Jackson asks what this interview is for and unlike most footballers; I think he's genuinely interested. I tell him that it's a way for me to brush up my rusty interview and writing technique and will enable me to get to know more about the players beyond what we see on the pitch.

And the great thing about Jackson is that there's so much to get to know. There's a huge difference between interviewing someone who's young and hungry, where the enthusiasm drips off of their every word, yet they've actually got very little to say and then those who have got a life away from football which is every bit as intriguing as their career on the pitch. And Jackson's life away from football couldn't possibly be any further removed.

After a tongue in cheek complaint that he's having his interview conducted in the chilly media suite at Vicarage Road, rather than the usual venue of the comfy Starbucks round the corner from the training ground, he declines a Kit-Kat and we begin.

Already from his chocolate refusal, I know what sort of a person he is - dedicated. To his diet, his training and his job. How else would he have had a 17 year career, two promotions and an FA Cup winner's medal?

It is with his football career that we begin, further back than when he turned down the offer of an apprenticeship with Luton Town in order to stay on at college to do his A-Levels. Instead we start with the nine year old Matt Jackson who after being born in rural Bedfordshire, was uprooted by his parents to spend two years living in Cairo, Egypt where his father was working in oil exploration.

He begins: "It's the nearest to a city that I've ever come to living in and if you're going to live in a city, Cairo is probably as hectic as it comes."

It was here that Jackson enjoyed the most bizarre introduction to football possible.

"My Arabic wasn't fluent, so football became the common language. There was myself and another ex-pat lad and we had to fit in with all of the locals. We'd have a kick about in the street and cars would stop and wait until the ball went out of play. After the game, we'd all hurl stones at each other in a big stone fight and then go home before turning up the next day to do it all over again." Like I said, bizarre.

Back in England, his football education continued at his school where he earned the right to play for his county. Trials for England's under 15's lead to him being spotted for Luton and although the call from his country never came, Kenilworth Road became his new home.

"I played nine games for Luton before I moved to Everton, then Luton went on to get relegated twice. I could have so easily have fallen into the morass of players who just disappear."

It is the fickle world of football that strikes a chord with Jackson and is something that he feels strongly about. The amount of players who don't make the grade, those who fall victim to injury and those who become their own worst enemies. I ask him what it was like to witness the Premiership boom time as a player.

"I only played in the first year of the Premiership, but even then you could see the massive change that it brought on. Obviously it was reflected in the wages, I remember hearing that someone was on £7,000 a week in 1993 and it seemed obscene. Then when players were on £10,000 a week, it was seen as being as high as wages could possibly go.

"One of the most upsetting cases was Mark Ward, a team mate of mine at Everton. You look at how he missed out on the big time money and now he's serving time in prison for drugs charges - that's a perfect example of how players in the early 90's were moving for £1m but were only on £62,000 a year and getting caught up in all sorts of things rather than having enough money in the bank for a comfortable retirement.

"There's always a certain amount of uncertainty in the game, but these days that's preached to us from the off. There are so few players that make it and even for those who do, the average career in football is said to span around seven years.

"With that in mind, the advice given to players these days is a lot better than it used to be, mainly thanks to the PFA. Gone are the days of players being ripped off by dodgy financial advisors with their crooked deals."

Luckily, Jackson has a wise head on his shoulders, a placid nature and a knack for accepting accountability.

"I've always had an awareness of my responsibility and I've always tried to conduct myself in the best way possible. I try not to give any of my managers any concerns or problems, I'm always on time and train as hard as I can. Even when I was at school I was given areas of responsibility. I don't like to annoy people; I've got too much of a conscience.

"I started taking up a lot of responsibility at Norwich and Wigan with my captaincy. I think it's because I'm not naturally antagonistic. I guess it can be a bit of a curse sometimes. Maybe I could have fought my corner a bit more in the past, but you can't 'second call' things in life. I don't see many downsides to my career at all."

I tell him that he seems content, not just in the interview where he takes each question in his stride, leaning back in his chair - but in life. Perhaps the fact that he has such a quiet life away from football helps?

"I am content. I prefer the rural life; my family are still living in a village just south of Preston which is perfect for them as my wife and my two children ride our horse, Briar. I get the less glamorous job of mucking out."

Briar is not alone, for company, she has Baarbra, the family sheep.

"When we lived in Norfolk we had a bit of land. Briar wanted a bit of company and a mate who lived up the road was the local shepherd. He told us of these orphan lambs, so we picked Baarbra and hand reared her."

The self confessed country lad is also involved with 'Jigsaw,' a charity which brings together mistreated horses and disabled children. I say that it's unusual to have a footballer involved in an animal charity as most tend to put their names to more high profile causes. He has a theory. "It's a bit of a sweeping statement, but football clubs tend to be in cities, so most players are city dwellers and don't see that side of life. But I'm a country boy, I just prefer that sort of lifestyle."

I don't quite know how to assess him. The more he talks the more I see a 'take it or leave it' attitude, balanced with an equal measure of utter professionalism. Which brings us onto the topic of dedication. I ask him what he thinks it takes for someone to have a job that they adore? I confess to him that I hate Sundays, I hate being away from football. So my question is, does it take a special person or perhaps a special industry to keep that passion alive?

"When I was a kid, football was the only job that I wanted to do and it was all I knew, but the dedication that you require is huge and I think it says a lot about the person to be that committed.

"I think 35 is a big age in this industry because it's when your pension expires. If you get to that age and you're still playing then you've probably had a good 17 or 18 year career behind you. Your body has to have held up and you have to have been disciplined. I don't think people realise just how dedicated a footballer has to be. To hold your position on the pitch and to have made it into the team, you have to be the best out there. Everyone is playing for a reason, because they have beaten off the competition around them. They are the best in their chosen position. So something about their mentality has enabled them to be that way and that for me epitomises how devoted a footballer has to be.

"I'm lucky with regards to the longevity of my career. The position that I play helps, as a centre half you don't have to be super quick, it's all about reading the game. Strikers have a cause to worry when their pace goes, but defenders can still rely on their judgement and positioning.

"I've always enjoyed the training aspect and I don't like taking a lot of days off, I've never shirked out of anything. I've been lucky in that I've played for the majority of my career and have always been involved, that helps keep me going."

Jackson also has some great memories to keep him going. Two promotions with Wigan as they rose from League One to the Premiership and his cherished FA Cup winner's medal from 1995 when his Everton side saw off Manchester United thanks to a solitary Paul Rideout goal. I just had the feeling that unlike so many footballers, Jackson wouldn't be the type to brag or have his medal on show. I was right.

"I put my medal in the local bank, every now and then I check that I've still got the receipt! For me, medals are for after you've retired, when you want to look back on what you've achieved. In terms of my achievements, it's a couple of promotions and an FA Cup winner's medal. It's not a lot compared to the likes of Ryan Giggs who has nine league titles to his name, but they are my successes and I'm proud of them - it's a lot more than what some people will walk away from football with.

"I look at people like Steve Harper, the goalkeeper at Newcastle. He's been there for 14 years and has only had 52 starts. People talk about him being a true professional in the game and you can't deny that he's at a massive club, but I can't help but wonder if he would trade it all in for a career that saw him play over 500 games?

"I wouldn't change anything about my career. I moved out of the Premiership early because I wanted to play every week. That was the most important factor for me and that's what made me as content as I am."

On the topic of walking away from football, I don't think anyone need fear that the Watford defender will have any problems finding work as he's already began seeking out future employment paths.

"I've done some media work and I've got my UEFA B license and I'll make sure that I've got all of my badges in place before I leave the game. I also started my own lifestyle management company in order to make it easier for players to settle in to their clubs. Players were coming to me and asking for advice and they seem to be happy with it so far, so perhaps that's something that I could expand."

Away from football, Jackson is a big fan of military history and like myself, shares an interest for the war poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. Owen's most famous work, 'Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori' encapsulated the bloodshed and horrors of trench and gas warfare in the First World War. The title translation tells of the 'old lie' that it is sweet and fitting to die for your country - a feeling that Jackson can't comprehend.

"I'm a big reader of military history and I read a bit about the famous anti-war poets. It was staggering to see people of all ages fighting for their country in the conditions that they had to contend with.

"We joke about going out to war on the pitch, but people make such a sacrifice to fight for their country, especially back in the day before there was all of this technology used in warfare. There's the famous saying about football being more important than life or death, but this is us playing that game that we love - it puts it all into perspective."

Given that I am about to endure my very own RSI war wound from the copious notes I have made, we wrap things up. I head back to the office and Matt prepares for an hour long stint in the Watford Learning Centre where he is about to face a barrage of questions from 12 year olds - a war zone in itself. He may not class himself as a soldier, but given the evidence, he's certainly a trooper.

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