.jpg) Jeffers warming up forIpswich Town in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francis Jeffers[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-01-25)25 January 1981 (age 44)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1997 | Everton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2001 | Everton | 49 | (18) |
| 2001–2004 | Arsenal | 22 | (4) |
| 2003–2004 | →Everton (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Charlton Athletic | 20 | (3) |
| 2005 | →Rangers (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Blackburn Rovers | 10 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Ipswich Town (loan) | 9 | (4) |
| 2007–2010 | Sheffield Wednesday | 54 | (5) |
| 2010–2011 | Newcastle Jets | 9 | (1) |
| 2011 | Motherwell | 10 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Newcastle Jets | 17 | (1) |
| 2012 | Floriana | 2 | (1) |
| 2013 | Accrington Stanley | 7 | (2) |
| Total | 235 | (40) | |
| International career | |||
| England U15 | |||
| England U16 | |||
| 1999–2003 | England U21 | 16 | (13) |
| 2003 | England | 1 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Francis Jeffers (born 25 January 1981) is an English football coach and former player, who is currently assistant manager ofMacclesfield Town.
Jeffers started his career at his boyhood clubEverton, making his debut in 1997 as a 16-year-old. After scoring 20 goals in 60 appearances for Everton, he signed forArsenal in 2001. During his time at Arsenal, he won theFA Cup twice in 2002 and 2003 despite not being a member of either Cup Final squad. In 2004, Jeffers joinedCharlton Athletic, where he spent two seasons, including spending time on loan at Scottish clubRangers. He moved toBlackburn Rovers in 2006, spending one season at the Lancashire club, whilst also spending time out on loan atIpswich Town in 2007. He joinedSheffield Wednesday in 2007. He spent three seasons at Wednesday, making 60 appearances for the club. He left Sheffield Wednesday in 2010, moving to Australian sideNewcastle Jets. He left Newcastle Jets to move to Scottish clubMotherwell in 2011, before returning to Australia to rejoin Newcastle Jets in October 2011. After leaving Newcastle Jets in 2012, he joined Maltese sideFloriana. He returned to England in 2013 to joinAccrington Stanley, before retiring from football after leaving Accrington in 2013.
He represented England at U15, U16, and U21 levels, becoming the joint-top scorer of theEngland U21 team after scoring 13 goals in 16 appearances, a record which he held up until 2020. In February 2003, Jeffers made his senior debut for theEngland national team, scoring againstAustralia in his one senior cap for England.
Following his retirement from playing, he returned toEverton as a coach at the club's academy in 2014, later becoming a coach with the club's U23 side in 2018. He leftEverton in May 2021 to joinIpswich Town as a first-team coach, a role he held until December. In September 2022 he joinedNational League sideOldham Athletic as first-team coach with additional responsibility for overseeing the introduction of the club's new B-team.
Jeffers was born inLiverpool, Merseyside,[1] and attendedDe La Salle School inCroxteth.[2]
Jeffers began his career atEverton, making his first-team debut as a half-time substitute forDave Watson on 26 December 1997 atOld Trafford at the age of 16 years.[3] Jeffers won theFA Youth Cup of1997–98 againstBlackburn Rovers with Everton.[4] He scored 6 goals in 28 matches for Everton in the1999–2000 season.[5]
Jeffers started the2000–01 season brightly, but his season was cut short with multiple ankle and shoulder injuries. When he did feature, he performed well, and his goal to game ratio was the best at the club that season.[6] This earned Jeffers a new contract offer from the club. However, after months of negotiations, Jeffers informed the club he was rejecting the new contract.[7]
His performances had caught the eye ofArsène Wenger, and Jeffers signed forArsenal on 14 June 2001 for an initial £8 million fee, with another £2 million dependent on appearances.[8][9] However, Jeffers did not live up to the "fox in the box" tag, and his time at Arsenal was dogged by injury.[10] He was forced out of the team by the form of fellow strikers likeThierry Henry andSylvain Wiltord.[11] Arsenal won the FA Cup in2002 and2003 but Jeffers was left out of both match day squads, the latter due to injury.[12][13] He contributed to their 2003 triumph by scoring three goals en route to the final; two againstFarnborough[14] and one againstChelsea.[15] He also started the semi-final against Sheffield United.[16] Arsenal also won the2001–02 Premier League title, but Jeffers only made six league appearances that season.[17] He was an unused substitute on the day Arsenal clinched the title against Manchester United at Old Trafford.[18] His final appearance for Arsenal came in the2003 FA Community Shield, coming on as a substitute but then getting sent off against Manchester United.[19]
On 1 September 2003, Jeffers rejoined Everton onloan for2003–04.[20] He only scored twice (with both goals coming against Fulham in the FA Cup; once in the original tie[21] and again in the replay)[22] in 22 appearances for his team, before falling out with managerDavid Moyes and prematurely returning to London.[23] He signed for Arsenal's Premier League rivalsCharlton Athletic on 10 August 2004 on a two-year contract for a £2.6 million fee.[24] In2004–05, he scored 5 goals in 24 appearances.[25] He joinedRangers on loan on 31 August 2005 for six months but returned in December after his performances in theScottish Premier League failed to live up to expectations.[26] Charlton released Jeffers at the end of the2005–06 season.[27]
Jeffers signed for Blackburn Rovers in June 2006 on a two-year contract.[28] He scored his first and only Blackburn goal in the UEFA Cup againstBasel.[29] He found his chances limited by the form ofBenni McCarthy andShabani Nonda.[7]
He joined Championship teamIpswich Town on a one-month loan deal in March 2007, scoring his first goal for Ipswich on his full debut away atHull City and receiving the man of the match award. Ipswich went on to win 5–2.[30] He returned to Blackburn after suffering ahamstring injury againstSouthend United, but having made a quick recovery, he was allowed to return to Ipswich on loan until the end of the 2006–07 season.[31]
Ipswich had tried to negotiate a permanent move for Jeffers but after having two bids rejected, Ipswich chairmanDavid Sheepshanks accused Blackburn of holding his club to ransom.[32] Ipswich did, however, make a third and final bid for Jeffers but personal terms could not be agreed.[33]
On 9 August 2007, he joined Sheffield Wednesday on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[34] Jeffers made his debut in an opening-day 4–1 defeat at Ipswich Town.[35] He sustained an injury which kept him out of action for all but 20 minutes of the first month of the2007–08 season.[7]
After a lively start againstStoke City on 20 October 2007, Jeffers was on the end of a tackle fromRyan Shawcross and was stretchered off with ankle ligament damage.[36] He was out for roughly seven weeks.[37] Jeffers came back as a substitute on 10 December 2007 versus Hull City, but ended up on the losing team after a 1–0 loss.[37] Just 48 hours later, Jeffers played at Hillsborough for the first time in two months, and not only played for 45 minutes of the match, but also scored the winning goal after 82 minutes from the penalty spot. This was Jeffers' second goal for Wednesday.[38]
In the summer of 2008, Jeffers had more problems with his ankle and also picked up a groin injury, leaving him injured until September 2008.[7] He returned to first-team action with a 25-minute substitute appearance in a 6–0 defeat atReading in mid September 2008 and then a further ten minutes against his former club Ipswich Town.[39] Jeffers scored his third goal for the Wednesday on 17 January 2009 in a 4–1 win over Charlton at Hillsborough, but was sent off in the next match againstNottingham Forest for a foul onJoe Heath.[40][41]
On 25 August 2009, Jeffers was sent off for headbuttingPort Vale playerTommy Fraser during the 2–0League Cup defeat. ManagerBrian Laws considered his behaviour unacceptable, fined the player the maximum permissible amount and placed him on the transfer list.[42][43]
Jeffers was released by Wednesday on 3 May 2010 after the club's relegation was confirmed to League One. After being released by Wednesday, Jeffers had a trial at newly promotedBlackpool.Ian Holloway wanted to give Jeffers a chance to prove himself but the trial proved to be unsuccessful and he was released.[44] He then returned to Everton, but only to join in with training at Finch Farm in a bid to keep his fitness levels up.[45]
After unsuccessful trials at Blackpool and Everton, Jeffers agreed to trial with AustralianA-League clubNewcastle Jets.[46] On 29 October 2010, he signed a 10-match guest contract with the club.[47] He made his debut for the club on 13 November 2010, helping Newcastle to a 3–1 victory overAdelaide United.[7]
He scored his first goal on 8 December 2010 against the Melbourne Heart.[48] Although Newcastle and Jeffers were both keen on extending his contract, they failed to come to an agreement and Jeffers left the club after making a positive impact.[49][50]
In February 2011, Jeffers joined Scottish Premier League clubMotherwell.[51][52] He made his debut coming on as a second-half substitute forJohn Sutton in the 6–0 defeat to former club Rangers.[53] His first goal for Motherwell came againstAberdeen on 15 February 2011.[54] Jeffers also scored the third goal in a 3–0 win againstDundee United in theScottish Cup quarter-final replay.[55] He was part of the squad that reached the2011 Scottish Cup Final, in which Motherwell finished runners up.[56] Jeffers was released by Motherwell on 1 June 2011.[57]
On 20 October 2011, he signed a one-year contract with A-League club Newcastle Jets, marking his return to the club he had played for during the2010–11 A-League season.[58] Jeffers scored 4 goals in 25 appearances for the A-League club.[7] Subsequently, Newcastle Jets decided not to renew Jeffers' contract making him a free agent.[7]
On 12 October 2012, Jeffers signed for 26-timeMaltese Premier League winnersFloriana.[59] After only two appearances and one goal, Jeffers left the club.[7] Jeffers was then involved in a minor Twitter scandal as a fake Twitter account posing to be Jeffers claimed that the Maltese League was the worst he had ever played in.[60]
On 8 March 2013, Jeffers signed forLeague Two clubAccrington Stanley until the end of the season.[61] On 9 March 2013, Jeffers made his Accrington debut as a second-half substitute away toNorthampton Town.[62] On 20 March 2013, Jeffers scored his first two Accrington Stanley goals in a 4–0 win at home toAFC Wimbledon.[63] He was released by Accrington at the end of the season, and had trials withBury,[64]Brunei DPMM of theS.League,[65] andChester,[64] but none chose to sign him.[66][67]
Jeffers was the joint top scorer forEngland under-21s with 13 goals from 16 appearances, a record he shared withAlan Shearer, untilEddie Nketiah broke the record in October 2020.[68][69][70][71] He was previously capped by theschools, under-15 andunder-16 teams.[72]
Jeffers has onecap for theEngland national team, scoring a consolation goal in a defeat byAustralia in afriendly on 12 February 2003.[73]
Unable to find a new club after his playing contract with Accrington Stanley had expired, Jeffers began working for Everton's academy on a voluntary basis in 2014.[74] He formally joined the academy's coaching team in October 2016.[75] Jeffers became a coach for Everton's under-23 side in 2018, working alongside former teammateDavid Unsworth. He was also part ofDuncan Ferguson's back room staff during his spell as caretaker manager of Everton in 2019.[76]
On 11 May 2021, Jeffers left his role at Everton to joinPaul Cook's coaching staff atIpswich Town, taking on a role as first-team coach.[77] Jeffers departed Ipswich in December 2021 following the sacking of Cook as manager.[78]
Jeffers was appointed as first-team coach atNational League sideOldham Athletic on 23 September 2022 following the appointment of his formerEverton colleagueDavid Unsworth as the club's manager. The club announced that it also intended to introduce a B-team and that Jeffers would oversee that operation as it was implemented.[79] He departed the club on 6 July 2023 in order to take up a role in Saudi Arabia.[80]
In July 2025, he became assistant manager ofMacclesfield Town.[81]
In October 2019, Jeffers admitted sending menacing messages to his wife of 10 years after their relationship broke down.[82]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Everton | 1997–98[3] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99[83] | Premier League | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 7 | |||
| 1999–2000[5] | Premier League | 21 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 6 | |||
| 2000–01[84] | Premier League | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 14 | 7 | |||
| Total | 49 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 60 | 20 | ||||
| Arsenal | 2001–02[85] | Premier League | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 10 | 2 | |
| 2002–03[86] | Premier League | 16 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 6 | |
| 2003–04[23] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1[d] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2004–05[25] | Premier League | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 22 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 8 | ||
| Everton (loan) | 2003–04[23] | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2004–05[25] | Premier League | 20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 5 | ||
| 2005–06[87] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 5 | ||||
| Rangers (loan) | 2005–06[87] | Scottish Premier League | 8 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2006–07[88] | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[e] | 1 | — | 15 | 1 | |
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2006–07[88] | Championship | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 4 | ||||
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2007–08[38] | Championship | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09[39] | Championship | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 3 | |||
| 2009–10[89] | Championship | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Total | 54 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 60 | 5 | ||||
| Newcastle Jets | 2010–11[90] | A-League | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||||
| Motherwell | 2010–11[91] | Scottish Premier League | 10 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| Newcastle Jets | 2011–12[90] | A-League | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| Floriana | 2012–13[90] | Maltese Premier League | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Accrington Stanley | 2012–13[92] | League Two | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | ||||
| Career total | 235 | 40 | 28 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 292 | 52 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2003 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 February 2003 | Boleyn Ground, London, England | 1 |  Australia | 1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly | [73] |
Everton Youth
Motherwell
