Jim Jefferies has challenged Matt Clarke to win back his place in the Bradford City side.

The City manager controversially dropped the highly acclaimed Clarke for Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Newcastle and then declared: "Matt has got to do what any player who is left out of a side should do - battle back and show what a good goalkeeper he is.

"Sometimes players come back stronger after they have been left out.

"I took him out of the side because I didn't feel confident enough in him over the last few weeks."

Clarke was playing so well early in the season that many good judges thought he ought to be picked in the England squad, but Jefferies said: "Although Matt did exceptionally well before I came here I can only judge him in the last three or four weeks while I have been at the club.

"Matt is disappointed at being dropped. But I believe one or two goals he has let in might have been avoided.

"I said when I came here that if a player had gone off the boil I wouldn't be afraid to drop him. A manager has to make tough decisions. No one likes being dropped and Matt doesn't like it, but he understands it.

"I am sure that deep down he knows he has not been at his sharpest."

Clarke, 27, who joined City on a free transfer from Sheffield Wednesday 18 months ago, has been linked with various clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea, but Jefferies insisted: "We have not had an offer or an inquiry. Until an offer comes in we expect him to battle for his place."

Jefferies' decision to drop Clarke gave Gary Walsh his first Premiership game for City for 13 months.

Walsh, a hero of City's First Division promotion campaign two years ago, originally lost his place to Clarke when he went down with flu on the eve of a live Sky TV Premiership match at Liverpool in November 1999. Clarke played so well he kept his place.

Jefferies said: "We have got strength in the goalkeeper position with three experienced players in Matt Clarke, Gary Walsh and Aidan Davison.

"Gary Walsh didn't let us down. He had no chance with the goals."