Jefferies paid tribute by Taylor

After a demoralising defeat by Bradford City at Filbert Street, England caretaker coach Peter Taylor paid tribute to the job Scot Jim Jefferies has done in restoring some self-belief to the Premiership's basement club.

'Despite my own disappointment I have to acknowledge the performance of Bradford, who worked better and

performed brighter than us,' said Taylor.

'They are fighting for their lives and it showed as they earned a good result which gives them hope.' There is still a long, hard battle ahead for Bradford but they can take enormous encouragement from the manner in which they forged an unlikely triumph with first-half goals from their on-loan midfielder Eoin Jess and Wayne Jacobs.

Bradford's win brought them within five points of their fellow strugglers and dragged Leicester down into sixth position, after they had so recently been breathing down Arsenal's neck.

Taylor acknowledged: 'We have had a disappointing couple of games, playing the worst at any time this season. There is a lack of confidence among the lads and too few leaders on the field. But we have enough good players to turn it around and that's what I will be attempting to do on the training field.' Leicester started badly, even by their recent standards, as they found themselves trailing for the third successive home game. Taylor's men paid the price for failing to impose themselves on the match and allowing Bradford far too

much possession and space. There was an air of inevitability about the visitors' first goal which came from debutant Jess, who was beginning a three-month loan from Aberdeen. Robbie Blake swept in a shot that Andrew Impey cleared off the Leicester goalline but the ball travelled invitingly into Jess's path for him to drive a shot low into the net. The east Midlands club soon found themselves two adrift after an inexplicable gaffe by former England goalkeeper Tim Flowers. He seemed to have a 29th-minute free-kick by Jacobs well covered, even though it took a deflection off the boot of Darren Eadie, but as he pounced on the ball it squirmed through his legs. Flowers' embarrassment was relieved a little just moments later when Leicester reduced their arrears from the spot. Eadie, with the goal at his mercy, was clumsily tripped from behind by Dean Windass. Muzzy Izzet converted his penalty with power but Leicester were unable to break the visitors down again.