HOOPER HANDLES THE BIG STAGE!

WHEN Richard Lavery persuaded Gary Hooper to dust down his boots for one final fling at Kettering Town last month, he knew exactly what was getting.

- Jon Couch

Two Scottish Premier League titles, two Scottish Cups and over 250 career goals in each of the top seven levels of English football, the 36-year-old has quite simply been there, done that when it comes to bringing a winning mentality.

A career which started with back-to-back FA Trophy successes with Grays Athletic, Hooper established himself as one of English, and Scottish, football’s most celebrated figures of his era, proving hugely popular wherever he played.

But whether it’s scoring twice in a cup final for Celtic at Hampden Park, in front of over 51,000 fans, or helping Kettering to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Leiston to maintain their title push in Southern League Premier Central, the passion, and the aim, remains the same.

None more so than this afternoon when Hooper leads out the Poppies for their biggest game in 16 years when they host Doncaster Rovers in the second round of the FA Cup in front of the BBC cameras.

After causing, arguably, the biggest upset of the first round at the home of higher-profile neighbours Northampton Town, the Poppies have stolen the limelight in the world’s greatest cup competition this season and for Hooper it’s like rolling back the years.

“It’s the FA Cup – the main cup for football in England,” the former Norwich City, Sheffield Wednesday and Scunthorpe United striker told The NLP.