Ex-Newcastle striker Hooper plans to bring ‘goals and magic’ to Cobblers

Striker JJ Hooper hopes to contribute ‘goals and magic’ when he is given his chance to shine in the Cobblers first team.
MAGIC MAN - JJ HooperMAGIC MAN - JJ Hooper
MAGIC MAN - JJ Hooper

The 19-year-old signed an initial one-year contract prior to the game at Corby Town on Wednesday night and immediately commemorated it by scoring the match’s opening goal.

Hooper has been told he is likely to start the season outside of the team’s first-choice 11.

But after notching four times in the club’s warm-up games so far, he is beginning to stake a case for an enhanced role.

And Hooper speaks with great confidence about his ability to seize any potential chances that come his way.

“As a striker it’s good to score goals but I think if you’re playing well and working hard then the goals will come,” he said.

“Hopefully I can bring goals and magic. My aim is just to score goals and make the fans happy.

“From there, if the team are doing well then that’s the main thing.”

Hooper has been with the club since the first day of pre-season training and admits the life of a trialist can be a difficult.

But the welcoming nature of the squad made the early transition easy for the former Newcastle United trainee.

“For all trialists it’s difficult but from day one the boys here welcomed me and they made it very easy for me to get along with them,” he said.

“That has made it a little bit easier, but it can be hard.”

Although he may not be in the team that starts the first game at York City, Hooper is already a fully-fledged subscriber to the theory that this should be the Cobblers’ year.

“I don’t think the club deserves to be in league two,” he said. “They were unlucky not to get promoted last season.

“Hopefully we won’t need the play-offs this season and we can go up automatically.”

The Cobblers continue their preparations for the new season with a friendly against a Stoke City Development team at Sixfields on Saturday (ko 3pm).