Former Sheffield Wednesday favourite completes homecoming transfer
Former Sheffield Wednesday striker, Gary Hooper, has completed a homecoming transfer - signing for Maldon & Tiptree in the Isthmian League North Division.
Hooper, who scored 31 goals in 89 games for the Owls as he almost helped them return to the Premier League almost a decade ago, has been well-travelled of late, playing for eight different clubs since leaving Hillsborough - and his latest sees him head home.
The 37-year-old attacker played for Maldon Town in the early 2000s prior to securing a move to Grays Athletic in a switch that kickstarted his professional career, and now he’s re-joined the Jammers for the remainder of their 2024/25 campaign.
Having recently left Kettering Town, Hooper was on the lookout for the next challenge in a storied career, and he didn’t take him long to settle on a venue, returning to his home country of Essex for what could potentially be his final chapter as a player. The former Celtic man told The Star last year that he wanted just ‘one more year’.
Speaking in May, ‘Hoops’ said, “I want to go for one more year, and see what happens. I’ve got a few charity games and a seven-a-side tournament in America. (Keiren Westwood) Westy’s at that, actually, he’s on another team though - so I’m going to score against him! We’ll see what happens after that. I won’t be in football (after retirement), I want a completely different start.”
He didn’t score past Westwood last summer, however did help the Wrexham Red Dragons reach the round of 16 in The Soccer Tournament. It remains to be seen whether he’ll feature in the 2025 edition of the competition.
Hooper made his debut for M&T over the weekend, playing just over an hour of their 0-0 draw with Cambridge City.