By Matt Lawton
June 16 2009

MATT JANSEN
D.O.B. 20/10/1977

Cheshire-based striker Matt Jansen joined Leigh Genesis in June 2009 in a player-coach role after finishing the 2008/2009 season with Blue Square Premier side Wrexham.

Jansen, capped six times for England Under 21's and once named in the full England squad, is a former Blackburn Rovers team mate of Genesis manager Garry Flitcroft, where the pair won automatic promotion to the Premier League in 2000/2001, with Jansen scoring 23 goals and finishing behind only Fulham's Louis Saha in the scoring charts.

After a near-fatal motorcycle crash in Rome in the summer of 2002, a summer that would have been spent with the England side at the World Cup in Japan and South Korea had he not been struck by a stomach illness, Jansen struggled to regain his fitness and spent spells with Coventry City and Bolton Wanderers.

Growing increasingly disillusioned with professional football, Jansen continued to train with the likes of Bolton, Carlisle and Huddersfield, before a short term deal with Sam Allardyce, Jansen's former manager at Bolton, saw him return to training at Ewood Park before joining Wrexham.

The move to Leigh sees Jansen begin a new chapter in his career, where he is allowed to begin to enjoy playing football again, whilst begin his coaching career and earn his UEFA coaching badges.

Jansen made his competitive debut for Leigh Genesis on the opening day of the 2009/2010 UniBond League Division One North season, playing for an hour before being substituted in a 3-1 win away to Rossendale United.

Jansen's first goals for the club came on Tuesday 1st September 2009 when he bagged a brace in a 3-2 league win over Warrington Town.

SEASON	LEAGUE		CUP		TOTAL
	App.	Gls.	App.	Gls.	App.	Gls.
2009/10	22 (8)	10	4 (1)	1	26 (9)	11

Garry Flitrcroft welcomes Matt Jansen to the Leigh Sports Village Stadium