only two months out and appeared as a substitute in the final of the competition, which Aberdeen again lost 2–1 to Rangers. Despite failing to win any trophies and missing part of the season with his injury, he won the PFA Young Player award for a second time. In 1993–94 Jess helped Aberdeen to another second-place finish in the Premier Division. He also scored five goals in four matches in the Cup Winners' Cup, finishing joint-top scorer in the competition. The next season almost ended in relegation for the club and Jess started only 15 league games due to a persistent foot injury. He returned as a regular starter in 1995–96 playing in a more withdrawn central midfield role to accommodate strikers Dodds, Booth and Shearer. He produced an impressive performance in the semi-final of the League Cup as Aberdeen overcame Rangers, scored a long-range goal in a league game against the same opponents a few weeks later and was in the team which won the 1995 Scottish League Cup Final, beating Dundee. Following this victory, he decided to seek a new challenge in his career and requested a move with his contract due to expire. As he had impressed in Europe against Italian opposition (Torino), Serie A clubs showed an interest and Jess has stated that Sampdoria were keen to sign him under the Bosman ruling at the end of the season, but he was determined that Aberdeen should receive a transfer fee, therefore agreed to a £2 million transfer to Coventry City of the English Premier League in February 1996. He left Aberdeen for the first time having made 253 official appearances for the club, scoring 63 goals, and the transfer fee they received for him was a record amount. Coventry City 25-year-old Jess made his Coventry debut against Middlesbrough on 24 February 1996 and made 12 league appearances in the latter part of that season under manager Ron Atkinson, scoring what would prove to be his only league goal for the club against QPR. In 1996–97 he played 27 times in the league but only started 19 of those, and scored an own goal in a game against Manchester United. He scored twice in Coventry's run in the 1996–97 FA Cup, netting in the third round game against Woking, and again in the fourth round victory at Blackburn Rovers. By that time Gordon Strachan had taken over