HUDDERSFIELD Town have signed former player Jon Stead.
Striker Stead, a Huddersfield-born Town academy product, moves on a free after leaving Bristol City and passing a medical.
Thirty-year-old Stead – a former England Under 21 international – scored 24 goals in 76 games for Town to earn a £1.25m move to Blackburn in February 2004.
The 6ft 3in frontman has also played for Sunderland, Sheffield United and Ipswich, and at club level, has 90 goals in 387 matches.
He said: "Me and my family had three very good years at Bristol City and the relationship with the supporters was one I hadn’t felt anywhere since I left Huddersfield, so coming back here was the only move that made sense to me once I left there.
“Once I decided to leave Bristol, I made it very clear to everyone that this is where I wanted to be. I had a few other offers, but this is the club I wanted to come and play for and having met the manager and the owner, the decision was made even easier.”
Stead admitted that he knew he would be part of a group of strikers and may not be automatic first choice - but said he was confident his work ethic would mean he weighed in with plenty of appearances.
He added: "I know the fans here are extremely passionate and have high expectations – I’m just the same! I’m hopefully having the number 14 shirt here, which was my first ever number and the shirt I still have framed in my house. It’ll be quite an emotional and exciting moment when I run out in front of the Town fans again."
Huddersfield Town boss Mark Robins said the club were putting together a new strikeforce and as such needed a mixed set of attributes. He added: "We need intelligence, we need movement, we need pace and we need presence as well.
“Jon can certainly link the play; he has presence and experience at this level. I have spoken to him about goals; he has always scored consistently but I believe that he can score more than he has done.
“He’s a very different player to the one that left this club back in 2004 and he was very popular with the supporters at Bristol City – he was their Player of the Year in 2012. He fits very well as a number nine in the system we want to play.
“Just as importantly he showed a real desire to return to Huddersfield Town. As soon as Jon knew of our interest he immediately turned down the other Championship offers that he had, such was his desire to be a Town player again and make a difference for us."
