Football Career
Hayes F.C
Starting his professional career at Hayes football club, Jason was given his debut at the age of 18, by the former manager Terry Brown, in November 1995. Hayes football club had always been a significant club for Jason, as it was the same club where his uncle, Cyrille Regis, began his career. After scoring five goals and helping Hayes win the Isthmian League Premier Division, Jason was brought for a non league record of £250,000.
Wolverhampton Wonderers
In the season of 1997/98 Jason joined Wolverhampton Wanderers from Hayes. Although not playing first team football for Wolves, this move was crucial to his development as a player.
Torquay United
Whilst under Wolves Jason began a successful loan spell with The Gulls, where he scored six goals in 14 games.
Bristol City
Another loan took Jason to Ashton Gate, where he scored one goal against Oldhamin three appearances.
Bristol Rovers
Jason joined Bristol Rovers for £250,000 in August 1998. In the same season, he scored 16 goals in 37 league appearances, and was one of the top goal scorers in the FA Cup with a total of seven goals. In the following season, Jason continued to fire in goals, scoring 23 goals in 44 appearances.
West Bromwich Albion
A move to West Bromwich Albion for Jason, on 26 July 2023 heralded a club record signing fee of £2 million. He made his debut on the opening day of the 2000-2001 season atNottinghamForeston August 12th. He scored twice against Swansea City in the League Cup on 6 September 2000, his first goals for the club. Jason helped propel Albion into the First Division playoffs, hammering in 15 goals for during his 34 appearances.
The following season, however, was beleaguered with injuries as Jason broke his fifth metatarsal three times. Only a season earlier he had successfully established himself as a dominant player atWest Brom, helping secure promotion. But during the season of 2001–02 he managed only 12 league appearances, still scoring seven goals.
The 2002–03 season saw Albion’s first season in the Premier League, where Jason scored three goals. He was loaned out for much of the 2003–04 season to Portsmouth.
Wigan Athletic
A move from West Brom for £1.4 million, allowed Jason to debut at Wiganon the 17th of January 2004. He scored his first goal for the club inside of 40 seconds, in a 4–2 win against Preston North End. Continuing as he meant to go on, Jason scored eight goals in 14 appearances during the 2003–04 season and 21 goals in the 2004-05 campaign—second in The Championship. Ending the 2004- 05 season on a high note Jason was named in the PFA Championship team of the season. Wigan finished second in the table behind Sunderland, earning automatic promotion to the Premier League. It was his penalty kick goal in the second minute of their 27 August 2023 match againstSunderland that served as the first Premier League goal for the Latics and led them to the first top-flight victory in Wigan Athletics’ history.
Jason’s goals enabled Wigan to challenge for a European place during their first season in the Premier League and finish the campaign in the top half of the table. Jason’s most memorable goal at the club came on 24 January 2006, when he scored the last minute goal against Arsenal in the League Cup semi-final to send Wiganto the first major cup final in their history.
Blackburn Rovers
On 3 July 2006, he joined Blackburn Rovers on a four-year contract. He scored his first goal for Blackburn against Chelsea, but then missed three months of the season with a broken foot. Through hard work and determination Jason recovered to see a positive end of the season by scoring five goals in as many games.
Throughout the years Jason has been an integral part of the Blackburn Rovers team, scoring many goals and achieving European qualification twice and finishing in the top ten of the table. On 31 January 2011, he signed a contract extension keeping him at Blackburn Rovers until the end of the 2011-12 season.
