UNDER fire Bradford boss Jim Jefferies assured the attendant pressmen he would do the job at City if he was given the time.

"I was very relieved to hear the final whistle," he admitted after the game. "I was really pleased the way the players held on because we played at Millwall and we deserved to win that, and at Crystal Palace the week before. They have earned it the hard way.

"The lack of confidence is there because we have been leaking goals. It would have been better had we won 3-0 or 4-1, but they put themselves under pressure when we were coasting, not once, but twice in the game. When Watford got their second goal, the nervousness went through the team.

"Watford had made changes and went for it, putting three experienced players on. We had injuries and suspensions, and only young boys who we could not throw on with minutes to go in that situation.

"We needed the experienced players to help us get through. We deserved it, and we showed the spirt which we have maintained through this bad run.

"Pressure comes to you when you are losing matches. I am confident I can do the job here provided I get the time to do it.

"As you can see today, people are 100 per cent behind Billy (Brown) and myself, and the players want us to do it. I am just more pleased for the players, who have have had to do it the hard way. We could be sitting here and saying we won three of the last four.

"This league is so tight things can change very quickly with a few results. We had the rub of the green with the fourth goal, but no one can hold that against us because it has been overdue.

"Our second goal was a great goal, and Jess was always a problem in the middle of the park. They could not deal with it until they changed their system and forced us to change ours."

November 2, 2001 10:04

Oliver Phillips