Former Football League frontman Ira Jackson Jr has described his new two-year contract at Isthmian Premier Folkestone as a show of intent.

Jackson has extended his second Cheriton Road stay - now working under joint-bosses Micheal Everitt and Roland Edge - until at least 2025, having rejoined at the start of the 2022/23 season.

“I think it’s a show of intent,” said the 26-year-old, who is set to get married this summer.

“The club wants to achieve things and they’re not under any illusions that I couldn’t have gone somewhere else, so it was about making sure that our objectives were in line.

“There’s new managers but nothing has really changed in the sense of the desire to want to win things.

“Once I knew that was still a key objective and that was still part of the plan, it wasn’t hard to decide to stay.

“Obviously, we have got new owners and a lot of our players have left so what’s the plan? What’s on the table? How did they see Ira fitting into this new system?

“Once they let me know that sort of stuff, they made me feel a big part of what they’re doing going forward.”

Jackson signed for Grimsby in 2020 after a prolific season for Invicta saw him bag 20 goals.

He netted three times for the Mariners and also played in the National League for Wealdstone before he came back to Folkestone.

Now, though, he’s more interested in enjoying his football, rather than seeking another higher-division switch.

He said: “Being happy is one of the most important things and I’ve always enjoyed being down at Folkestone.

“I enjoy the fans, the club and the managers - obviously, it was Cugs [Neil Cugley] before but, now, it’s Mev and Edgy.

“That’s a priority for me.

“I’m not chasing to get back into full-time. It’s more that I’m playing to enjoy it and achieve things, rather than ‘I want to get the next move to this club or that club’.

“There’s more to life for me now and I also want to help other people get moves.

“There’s Folkestone Academy players and Folkestone Youth players, some that I coach, and I try to be around them as much as possible to help with my experience and advice.”

Jackson netted 12 times competitively in 12th-placed Folkestone’s 2022/23 campaign, albeit eight of them came after the turn of the year.

He hopes to play more of a leading role next time around.

He explained: “I think this season the dynamic will change a lot.

“I came back in at the end of pre-season. The starting XI was already established so, when I came in, I wasn’t a main player.

“As interesting as it sounds, the way they were playing was very much to Ade [Yusuff] and to Kadz [Kadell Daniel].

“They kind of already had their main men.

“As you could see in the second-half of the season, it was very different when players had left.

“People had to step up - myself included - to do what I did for Folkestone before I left.”

Youth product Lenny Atherton, young winger Jordan Ababio and goalkeeper Joe Coleman also have agreed to stay with Folkestone but all-time record scorer Ian Draycott has left this week.

Invicta will visit Southern Counties East Premier Division Hollands & Blair on Tuesday, July 18, and host Hythe on Saturday, July 29.