from Atkinson as manager, and in the close season he allowed Jess to leave as he could not guarantee his place in the team. Despite his stay at Highfield Road being fairly brief, he later described the experience as "fantastic" due to the excitement of the games fighting relegation. Return to Aberdeen In summer 1997 Jess returned to Aberdeen, rejoining Roy Aitken's side for a fee of £700,000. This spell at Pittodrie was shorter and less successful than his first, although he did manage a career-best total of 14 league goals in 1998–99 including on the opening day which was the first goal of the Scottish Premier League era. He also played in the 2000 Scottish League Cup Final and 2000 Scottish Cup Final, both of which ended in defeat. Having been a regular starter since his return he played less frequently in his final season, 2000–01, under manager Ebbe Skovdahl. In December 2000 he stated publicly that he may not sign a new contract and suggested that Aberdeen's ambition did not match his own (unaware of the club's financial plight at the time), alienating him from the hierarchy; he soon departed for a second time upon the opening of the winter transfer window, having made a further 126 Aberdeen appearances (31 goals). Later years in England Jess returned to the Premier League at the age of 30 with Bradford City, initially on loan, and scored on his debut for the Bantams on 1 January 2001 against Leicester City. Bradford were relegated in last place but the loan move was a success (17 games, three goals), with the deal being made permanent in the summer when Jess's Aberdeen contract expired. In the 2001–02 First Division he made 45 league appearances and finished the season as top scorer with 14 goals (including a hat-trick in a home win over Watford), but financial problems meant he was released by Bradford in June 2002 following the collapse of ITV Digital. He joined Nottingham Forest in August 2002 and in his first season steered Forest into the play-offs in 6th place. However they dropped to 14th the next year and were relegated in 2005, and Jess moved on as a free agent. In July 2005 he signed for Northampton Town and in his first season with the club achieved promotion from the fourth tier; in April 2007 he was released from his contract with