Jason Neil Beckford (born 14 February 1970) is an English professional football manager and former player who is now the head coach of Canadian League1 Ontario club Simcoe County Rovers. His elder brother Darren also played professional football. Beckford began his playing career as a forward with Manchester City, where he played 12 times in the 1988–89 Second Division promotion winning campaign. He then had brief loan spells at Blackburn Rovers and Port Vale, before signing with Birmingham City for a £150,000 fee in the 1991–92 Third Division promotion winning season. He was loaned out to Bury, before joining Stoke City in 1994. He ended the 1994–95 season at Millwall, before announcing his retirement after spending the 1995–96 season with Northampton Town. Beckford coached in the Academy at Bolton Wanderers, before being appointed assistant manager of Mossley in June 2002. He was appointed as manager 13 months later and went on to lead the club to promotions out of the North West Counties League in 2003–04 and the Northern Premier League Division One in 2005–06. He left the club at the end of the 2006–07 season and went on to coach at Bolton and Oldham Athletic. He emigrated to Canada in 2012 and was appointed as head coach of Simcoe County Rovers in March 2022. Playing career Manchester City Beckford began his career at Manchester City in 1987–88, who were then a Second Division side under the stewardship of Mel Machin. Beckford signed as an apprentice at age 16, turned professional at age 17, and made his first-team debut against Middlesbrough. City won promotion as the division's runners-up in 1988–89, and went on to finish 14th in the First Division in 1989–90 under new boss Howard Kendall. Towards the end of the 1990–91 season, new manager Peter Reid allowed Beckford to drop down a division to play four games on loan at Don Mackay's Blackburn Rovers. After returning from Ewood Park, he found himself out of the first team picture at Maine Road. John Rudge – who had sold his brother Darren a few months earlier – brought Beckford on loan to Port Vale in September as cover for the injured Keith Houchen. He claimed a goal in a 2–1 win over Grimsby Town at Blundell Park on 12 October, before leaving Vale Park after five Second Division appearances. Birmingham City He moved on to Birmingham City in the 1991–92