 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Harold Hooper | ||
| Date of birth | (1933-06-14)14 June 1933 | ||
| Place of birth | Pittington, England | ||
| Date of death | 26 August 2020(2020-08-26) (aged 87) | ||
| Place of death | Hunstanton, Norfolk, England[1] | ||
| Position | Outside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 194?–1950 | Hylton Colliery Juniors | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1950–1956 | West Ham United | 119 | (39) |
| 1956–1957 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 39 | (19) |
| 1957–1960 | Birmingham City | 105 | (34) |
| 1960–1963 | Sunderland | 65 | (16) |
| 1963–1965 | Kettering Town | 68 | (17) |
| 1965–1967 | Dunstable Town | ||
| 1967–1968 | Heanor Town | ||
| International career | |||
| 1954–1957 | England B | 6 | (2) |
| 1955 | England under-23 | 2 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Harold Hooper (14 June 1933 – 26 August 2020) was an Englishfootballer who played as anoutside forward. He made more than 300 appearances inthe Football League, and represented England atunder-23 and'B' international level.
Hooper was born inPittington,County Durham.[2] He played football forHylton Colliery Juniors and for theDurham youth side[3] before joiningWest Ham United in November 1950 when his father, also namedHarry Hooper, was appointed assistant trainer at the club.[2][4] He played for the reserve team in theLondon Combination before making his debut inthe Football League on 3 February 1951, at the age of 17 years 7 months, at home toBarnsley in theSecond Division. West Ham won 4–2, and Hooper himself came close to scoring eight minutes from time, when "Barnsley'sPat Kelly had to stretch like elastic to push Harry's 25-yard drive over the bar".[5][6]
The1954–55 season saw Hooper make 41 league appearances for West Ham, one short of being an ever-present.[6] This included a game againstLeeds United on the afternoon of his wedding. He was madecaptain for the day and West Ham won the game 2–1.[7] He played a total of 119 league games for the club, scoring 39 goals.[2]
Hooper, anEngland under-23 andEngland 'B' international, was named as a reserve for the1954 FIFA World Cup squad but did not travel, and never won a full internationalcap.[2][8] He represented theFootball League in games against the Irish League in 1954, and theScottish League in 1955.[9] He also played for theLondon XI in theInter-Cities Fairs Cup group stage game against theBasel XI on 4 June 1955, a 5–0 victory.[a]
Hooper moved toWolverhampton Wanderers for £25,000 on 22 March 1956.[14] He scored 19 goals in 39 league matches for Wolves, before his departure in December 1957.[15] He then joinedBirmingham City for a fee of around £20,000, spending nearly three years at the club and winning a runners-up medal in the1960 Fairs Cup.[16] He scored five times in the competition, including a consolation goal in the 4–1 loss toBarcelona in theFinal.[17]
In 1960, Hooper returned to the north-east, joiningSunderland for a fee of £18,000. He went on to playnon-league football withKettering Town,Dunstable Town andHeanor Town before retiring.[16]
Hooper died on 26 August 2020 after a long battle with Alzheimer's.[18][19]
Harry Hooper, former Sheffield United back who is at present coach and second team trainer to Hartlepools United, has been appointed assistant trainer by West Ham United.
