The 31-year-old Scot has signed a two-year contract after agreeing compensation with Bradford over the remaining two years of his deal.

He was one of 16 players sacked by Bradford three months ago when the club went into administration.

"It's been difficult for all the players at Bradford. We just had to act professionally and get on with it," said Jess.

"There really was nothing we could do about - it was out of our hands.

"I'm just delighted to get the chance to move to Forest and have the opportunity to play football again."

Forest boss Paul Hart will not select Jess for Saturday's clash at Portsmouth, but he is delighted with his new signing.

"Eoin is an excellent signing for us," said Hart. "He's the right type of player, the right type of person and he offers us many, many options.

"But the bottom line is the fact that he's a very good footballer."