Sheffield Wednesday: Hooper backed to fire Owls to glory

Twenty hours after completing his permanent switch to Hillsborough, Hooper claimed his seventh goal in 14 Wednesday appearances as they held Reading to a draw.

The forward, who turned 28 yesterday, has netted five goals in his last three outings to help the Owls move up into the Championship’s play-off positions.

Defender Loovens, who worked with Hooper at Celtic, is thrilled the striker has agreed to prolong his Wednesday stay.

“Gary is a quality striker and we are happy that he has signed a long-term deal here,” Loovens told The Star. “I played with him for over two and a half years at Celtic so I know him quite well.

“Gary is quite a timid guy but his job is scoring goals and that’s what he gets paid to do and he’s really good at it. That’s why the chairman did everything he could to bring him back.

“He’s a big part of the team so hopefully we can push on.”

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If Wednesday are to realise their promotion dreams, Loovens says it is crucial the team don’t just rely on Hooper to find the back of the net.

“Gary’s going to be very important but so will everybody be in the squad,” he said.

“It’s not a one-man game or the first eleven. It is the whole squad. We are going to need each other.”

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