by Alex Hoad at the Riverbank Arena

Ashley Jackson said he was ‘physically and emotionally’ exhausted after seeing his dream of a medal at the London Olympics ended by Australia 3-1 in the bronze medal match on Saturday afternoon.

The 24-year-old West Malling star once again impressed for Team GB, industrious in the middle of the Riverside Arena pitch against the world’s No1 side, and then adding his third assist of the Games to add to his six goal haul in the tournament.

Some slack defending from GB paved the way for Simon Orchard to lash the Australians into the lead from the edge of the D midway through the first half, however Jackson laid on the equaliser from a penalty corner six minutes before the break.

Jackson’s trademark drag-flick worried the Aussies so much that they allowed PC taker Iain Lewers to drift towards the near post and Jackson superbly disguised his pass to Lewers to sweep home.

Parity at the break was barely deserved and after the interval the Aussies took a stranglehold with Jamie Dwyer volleying a loose past keeper James Fair at the second attempt on 48 minutes after the hugely impressive keeper had kept out his initial stinging drive.

The killer third goal arrived from Kieran Govers a little over 10 minutes from time and was similar to the second, the luckless Fair parrying a Dwyer drive into the air and Govers diverting home.

Former Sutton Valence School pupil Jackson described the feeling of ‘limbo’ which comes with being in the fourth-best team in the world, according to the rankings.

He admitted: “I’m absolutely exhausted. Physically, emotionally, it’s never easy with us,” before adding: “We’re kind of in a limbo.

“We’re fourth in the world but we’re not quite close enough to the top three teams and we’re a little bit ahead of the teams behind us.

“It means we have to do something spectacular to finish in those medals but if we hadn’t have made the semis it would have been a disaster for us really, even though world ranking said it wouldn’t have been too bad.

“It’s tough. It’s never easy, we never go a load of goals up and look comfortable.”

He however said he felt his teammates could hold their heads up high after a vastly improved display from Thursday night’s 9-2 drubbing at the hands of the Netherlands in the semi-final.

Former Tunbridge Wells player Jackson said: “It was a good team performance really, we couldn’t have asked for much more than that.

“Obviously it wasn’t the result we were after but in terms of everyone out there doing it for each other, it was good.”

He added: “I think and I hope we can come out with our heads held high. I hope everyone can look around the dressing room and, tears or no tears, look the next person in the eye and know that they gave it everything that they could give for each other for the last four years.

“We play for the love of the game, and because of the people we have around us and the love we have for each other.”

Jackson will be approaching his prime in Rio in four years time, and GB have improved from fifth in Beijing to fourth in London, but he wouldn’t be drawn on what might happen in Brazil.

He said: “We have done good things. We’re not chokers. That’s the first time we’ve lost to Australia in the Olympic Games and the World Cup in the past four years.

“Yeah, there’s been progress. We’ll see who’s left standing after this - who wants to call it a day and who wants to carry on playing.

“Hopefully we’ve set a really good platform for the younger side to come in and really push on from there.”

LIVE TEXT COMMENTARY OF THE GAME BELOW

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5.23pm -The lad is just completely wiped out.

"Physically, mentally and emotionally drained by the last two weeks," he said, "but we can go out with our heads held high."

More to follow asap.

4.53pm - GB had a go late on but a little too late. Finished 3-1.

4.43pm - 3-1 and probably all over.

Kieran Govers was goal-hanging and was on hand to slap in a volley after Dwyer's close-range shot was parried by Fair who, frankly, deserves much more luck that he's had.

10mins to go.

4.39pm - 14mins to go and GB keeper James Fair has kept us in it with some fine saves.

Aus should be out of sight, really.

Can we capitalise?

4.32pm - It's 2-1 to Australia from a scrappy goal from a PC.

Jamie Dwyer turned the ball in after his initial shot was saved by Fair 22mins from time.

Not a goal which deserves to decide a medal.

4.30pm - Australia have regained the initiative and forced a couple of penalty corners in the opening 12 minutes of the half.

4.14pm - We're back under way at the Bank...

4.05pm: Half-time and it's 1-1, but mainly thanks to GB keeper James Fair who made two fine saves in the seconds before the interval.

4pm - 1-1 and from a Jackson penalty corner. But he didn't score. He faked to shoot and superbly disguised a pass to Iain Lewers to sweep in at the near post. Six minutes before HT.

Crowd lifted by that!

3.56pm - Since the goal it's been pretty much constant Australian possession in the GB half.

But we DO have a penalty corner.... seven minutes before the break.

3.47pm - 1-0 to Australia. First real chance of the game too.

Some sloppy defending from GB gifted Australia possession in our half and Simon Orchard took advantage, lashing the ball high past James Fair from the edge of the D.

3.32pm - Bright start from GB who look up for it.

3.27pm - Anthems being belted out. Then we're off...

3.15pm - Kent hockey legend Mel Clewlow, here to commentate for the BBC, (though surely she could still do a job for GB) has pooh-poohed the suggestion that Australia may run-riot here.

She says 'they create lots of chances but can't finish them.'

Could we be seeing a living-breathing example of the 'Commentator's Curse' here ladies and gentlemen?

Hope not.

3.05pm - Teams are out and warming up.

I'm reliably informed by an expert member of the media that the Aussies are 'angry' to not be in the gold medal match and want to send out a message.

Erm...

2.45pm - Ashley Jackson is Kent's last remaining competitor at London 2012 and will seek to secure a bronze medal with victory over Australia in the 3rd/4th play-off at 3.30pm.

It will be no easy task, Australia are ranked No1 in the world and GB lost 9-2 to the No2-ranked Netherlands in Thursday night's semi-final.

GB can however draw heart from the fact that they rallied from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 against the Aussies in the group stage.

Penalty-corner specialist Jackson has scored six goals in six appearances at the Games so far, the most by any Brit.

Let's try and end this on a high, eh?