FC St. Pauli

Jackson Irvine on...

…his first contact with FC St. Pauli: "My first experience with the club came when we played here with the Celtic Academy in a pre-season friendly back in 2010. It was an amazing experience! I could tell straightaway that the connection between the two clubs was very strong. The atmosphere was incredible. Unfortunately, I didn't get off the bench for the game at the Millerntor in 2014. Since those two experiences it's always been a club you keep a keen eye on."

...the kind of player he is: "I think the biggest aspect of my game is the physicality that I bring, my ability to go box-to-box, up and down the field. But equally so I'm capable of operating as a No10, where I've played a lot over the last three years. I'm always creating and trying to get into goalscoring positions. I'm pretty versatile in midfield and managers are comfortable playing me in different positions. I feel like I can bring different qualities wherever the team feels I'll be the best fit."

...his best position in midfield: "I'm quite versatile, I've played a number of different positions across midfield in different systems and formations, but as I say with my attributes as an energetic, box-to-box player affecting the game at both ends, I probably see No8 as my strongest position. I played as a No6 for the national team in the World Cup qualifiers recently and I've played as a No10 a lot over the last two or three seasons, so I'm very capable in any of those areas, though I'm always trying to improve every aspect of my game."

...the fans and the atmosphere at the Millerntor: "There's so many different reasons why I felt this was a great fit for me, having experienced the atmosphere before, so to have the opportunity of playing in front of a packed house again, as often as possible, is unbelievably exciting. And having not played in front of fans for a long time now, we can't wait to have everybody back as soon as possible."

...his first impressions of the team: "There's a good energy in the team. I saw the game against Odense and liked it a lot, especially our attacking play. We created a lot of chances and made lots of runs. I can't wait to be involved in it. I hope to be back to full fitness as soon as possible, but we'll have to take each day as it comes."

New signings Jackson Irvine (right) and Jakov Medić in conversation.

...his guitar: "I have it with me most of the time, to be fair (he laughs). I started playing the guitar as a child. I've played as long as I can remember but it was at secondary school when I started to play more with my friends and in bands and I became really passionate about it."

...his favourite music: "Well, it's constantly changing. I'm always on the lookout for new sounds. Of the big Australian rock bands, I love AC/DC. There's no better way to get up for a game than coming out to the sound of Hells Bells. In general, I like to listen to a lot of different things, sometimes a bit heavier, sometimes I like a lot of techno, or whatever they're playing on the radio. I like to mix it up."

...the way St. Pauli are seen in Australia: "I think it's worldwide, not just Australia. Everybody knows the club. As soon as people back home found out about my move, a lot of them weren't so surprised knowing my personality and the way I like to play football. We have a lot of Australians in Germany and in the second league as well, so it's a closely followed league in Australia now."

...what matters to him in life: "Football has a big place in my life, of course. For your own priorities, you want to have the best career. You want to be successful and bring that success to the club that you play for and the national team. But football is only a small part of life. For me, and for my family, you want to be happy and bring a bit of love and laughter to the people you care about, enjoy and experience everything you can and get to know different cultures."

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters