Harry Hooper (soccer player, 1933)

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Harry Hooper
Personnel
Surname Harold Hooper
birthday June 14, 1933
place of birth Pittington ,  England
position Right winger
Juniors
Years station
Hylton Colliery
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1950-1956 West Ham United 119 (39)
1956-1957 Wolverhampton Wanderers 39 (19)
1957-1960 Birmingham City 105 (34)
1960–1962 Sunderland AFC 65 (16)
Kettering Town
Dunstable Town
Heanor Town
National team
Years selection Games (goals)
1954-1957 England B 6 0(2)
1955 England U-23 2 0(2)
1 Only league games are given.

Harold "Harry" Hooper (born June 14, 1933 in Pittington ) is a former English football player . As a goal-threatening and fast winger , he was in the extended focus of the English national team at a young age and part of the squad for the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland . His professional positions included West Ham United , Wolverhampton Wanderers , Birmingham City and AFC Sunderland .

Athletic career

Originally from County Durham in northeast England , Hooper joined West Ham United in London as a teenager . His father ended up there as a cotrainer and he “took” the offspring with him. At the age of just 17, the newcomer made his debut for the then second division team in February 1951 against FC Barnsley (4-2). He gained a regular place on the right offensive side in the course of the 1953/54 season and with his scoring risk he quickly became the focus of English national teams (although he was not in the top English division). On March 3, 1954, he scored a goal to 1-1 against the Scottish counterpart on his debut for the B-team. A short time later he was nominated for the A-national team for the upcoming 1954 World Cup in Switzerland , but he was not on site as a substitute and was only “on call” at home. By the mid-1950s, it became apparent that Hooper was beckoning a career in the First Division. By March 1956, Hooper had become a key player with the "Hammers" and during the 1955/56 season he had scored 15 goals, including a hat-trick against the Doncaster Rovers in October 1955 . With the climb well out of reach, he ultimately moved to the Wolverhampton Wanderers . West Ham had an immediate use for the transfer fee of £ 25,000 and purchased land from St Edward's School which was later used for the main car park in front of the home ground of Upton Park .

Wolverhampton's trainer Stan Cullis saw in Hooper the ideal successor to the aging Johnny Hancocks . With speed, direct play, both feet and the ability to act on both sides, he quickly became a regular and in an attack series with Jimmy Mullen , Jimmy Murray , Peter Broadbent and Bobby Mason he was the top scorer in the with 19 goals from 39 league games Team. Surprisingly, Hooper left the club again in December 1957, as Cullis had been dissatisfied with the lack of tactical subordination of the newcomer. The next stop was the local rival and first division competitor Birmingham City .

In just under three years for the "Blues", he scored 34 goals in 105 league games, plus five in the trade fair cup , which was played from 1958 to 1960. The highlight for him was the two final games against CF Barcelona . After a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Birmingham, he scored the consolation goal in the second leg in Camp Nou to make it 4-1. In September 1960, Hooper then hired at the second division AFC Sunderland , which was also a return to his home region for him. After 65 missions in the Second Division for the "Black Cats", Hooper let his career in " non-league football " end at Kettering Town , Dunstable Town and Heanor Town in the 1960s .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "England - International Results B-Team - Details" (RSSSF)
  2. ^ "England - U-23 International Results- Details" (RSSSF)
  3. ^ "Harry Hooper" (Spartacus International)
personal data
SURNAME Hooper, Harry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hooper, Harold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH June 14, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Pittington