Kayden Jackson won his first pro contract after finding a competition on Facebook... now Accrington hotshot says more chances must be given to players looking for a breakthrough

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'It was the best thing I ever found on Facebook,' says Kayden Jackson, as he remembers how he ended up in professional football.

The Accrington striker's story is a curious one - a tale of setbacks and second chances, and another example of just why non-League players should not give up on their dream.

Yes, his rise has been steadier than Andre Gray's, less seismic than Jamie Vardy's and there's certainly not a Jackson lookalike market opening up in the north west, but the 23-year-old's shift from North East Counties League semi-pro to EFL hotshot via an online competition shows that, sometimes, a little perseverance does pay off.

Kayden Jackson has enjoyed a prolific start to the new season with Accrington Stanley

When he was 18, Jackson won his first professional contract with Swindon Town

It was only five years ago that Jackson was looking to start out in fitness instructing, having failed to win academy or pro deals following trials at Leeds and Blackburn.

A three-month lay-off because of a knee injury had put paid to his time at Bradford, his hometown club, and he was knocking goals in for Albion Sports for the princely sum of £50 a game.

Then he stumbled across an item on his Facebook newsfeed that caught his attention - an advertisement for the Samsung Win A Pro Contract competition.

'It was a couple of weeks before it closed,' Jackson tells Sportsmail. 'It was probably the best thing I've ever done in my life - to come across that little advertisement on the side of my Facebook page. It's the best thing I've ever come across on Facebook.'

In its third season at the time, the competition offered undiscovered talent the opportunity to earn a year at one of two clubs - Swindon and Leyton Orient. A third, Wycombe, would join in the following season.

He came out ahead of 5,500 rivals to win the Samsung Win A Pro Contract competition

Andre Gray, pictured during his Luton days, is one of several to have come from non-League

Jackson admits to having massaged the facts a little on his application - 'you have to bring up the clubs you've been on trial with but not so much mention the trial. When people are reading it and thinking "this guy's had spells with Leeds United, Blackburn, Bradford City", that brings you to their attention' - but there was good cause, not least that he was up against 5,500 other entrants.

And it did the trick. Jackson got onto the programme and after a series of trial training sessions and matches he and one other - Jack Sherratt - were chosen for contracts.

He went into a Swindon dressing room that at the time featured the likes of Australia international Massimo Luongo and soon-to-be England midfielder Ryan Mason, on loan from Tottenham.

'It was probably the best Swindon team there's been for a while,' Jackson says. 'The standard was unbelievable.'

He never felt judged or out of place at the County Ground - 'it was an unbelievably easy dressing room to walk into. There were no egos. I was lucky in that respect' - but first-team chances were hard to come by.

Jackson, pictured in a Liverpool shirt during his childhood, has had an up-and-down career

Jamie Vardy came through Halifax and Fleetwood on his way to the big time with Leicester

After spells out on loan at Oxford City and Swindon Supermarine in non-League, he was let go by the Robins. But now he had the itch.

To force his way back to the EFL, Jackson dropped into the Conference North with Tamworth, earned a move to Wrexham in the league above, was called up by England C and then courted by Barnsley. Now at Accrington, he's scored five times in eight League Two appearances this term to help Stanley to third place in the League Two table.

'I still feel a little inexperienced in the footballer's life,' he admits. 'It's been a mad four years - I've been part time when I'm having to work on the side, I've been struggling for gametime.

'It has been a really crazy four years.

'I've been a bit of a journeyman… I've gone everywhere, worked as hard as I can and got my opportunity.'

Now Jackson is determined to make the most of that opportunity.

'I'm not going to stop until I play as high as I possibly can,' he says. 'I feel very comfortable at Accrington and I want to build on the good start I've had, wherever that may take me.

'I know for a fact, with the hard work I put in, I will get the chance to play higher some day - whether that is League One, the Championship or higher than that.'

He sees parallels between himself and men like Vardy, Gray and Charlie Austin - products not of glamorous academies but backwater clubs you've likely only heard of because of the exploits of their illustrious alumni.

'Vardy's success didn't happen overnight. He broke into the Premier League quite late, he wasn't even 25,' says Jackson.

'I remember him being at Fleetwood or being on the bench at Leicester and now he's got his chance. Those chances can come at any time, as long as you're working hard.

'I've seen first-hand my friends not getting their chance and you get frustrated and it's easy to do that if you think you deserve it. You have to keep a calm head and when the chance comes you have to take it.'

He dropped down the divisions after his time at Swindon before signing for Wrexham

A loan spell at Grimsby preceded a move to Accrington this summer, where he is now firing 

He is convinced there are many more players like him floating around in the divisions below the EFL, waiting for their leg-up into the professional game, and would back a relaunch of the Win A Pro competition - even if he is the only one of its seven champions to still be full-time.

'It shows that it can help,' he says. 'It's done what it was there for - I'm playing professional football now because of that competition.

'I never wanted to do something I didn't enjoy. I could easily have gone in another direction and done something academically that most people go for but I've always pursued what I wanted.

'I've always wanted to be in this industry and thankfully I stuck at it and got in somehow. Now I'm making a life for myself. I suppose I'm lucky that I'm one of the few who persevered. Up until now it's been a very good life.'