ANDY BOOTH welcomed Jon Stead to a select Huddersfield Town club and predicted: “He can be as influential as he was the first time around.”

The 30-year-old striker is back in Huddersfield almost a decade after departing for then-Premier League Blackburn in a £1.25m move.

It echoes the career path of the Town legend and now club ambassador Booth, who came through the ranks, had a successful stint at Sheffield Wednesday from 1996-2000, then returned.

Malcolm Brown, Bobby Campbell, Rob Edwards, Roy Ellam, Chris Lucketti and Iffy Onuora are the others to have had two Town spells, not including loans.

Booth ended his playing days in 2009 with a total Town haul of 150 goals, making him the third-highest scorer in the club’s history behind George Brown (159) and Jimmy Glazzard (154).

Stead netted 24 times in 76 games for Town before his February 2004 transfer to Ewood Park , where he followed in Booth’s footsteps by winning England Under 21 honours.

Over his whole career, the 6ft 3in man who has also played for Sunderland, Sheffield United and Ipswich has 90 goals in 387 matches.

And Booth, who played alongside Stead as he made his mark at first-team level during the difficult 2002-03 League I season, is convinced there are more to come.

“That was a tough time for us all, because not only were we relegated, but the club also went into administration,” recalled Booth.

“But looking back, it was probably quite character-building as far as Steady was concerned.

“At that time, there wasn’t that much crossover between the seniors and juniors.

“But I remember being injured the season before and having to train at Storthes Hall one Saturday morning.

“The academy side were playing and I watched quite a bit of the game, and Steady really caught the eye.

“Mick Wadsworth brought him into the first-team squad the following pre-season and gave him his debut in the first game at home to Brentford.

“We lost 2-0, and unfortunately that pretty much set the tone for what was to follow, but Steady ended up with half a dozen goals and gained valuable experience.”

It was the following season, under popular boss Peter Jackson, that the former Honley High pupil really flourished.

Even though he was transferred to Blackburn two-thirds of the way through, he top-scored with 18 goals in a Town side promoted from League II via the play-offs.

Stead was watching from the Town bench as Mansfield were beaten on penalties after a 0-0 extra-time draw at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

“He took a full part in the celebrations, and it was great to see how much it meant to him that we went up,” added Booth.

“Jacko, who did a great job to build a squad which mixed young lads with some seasoned pros, really got him playing.

“But Steady deserves a lot of credit, because it was clear that after the previous season, he had really worked hard to bulk himself up.

“He gained in confidence as the season went on, and we all recall him making a flying start at Blackburn and getting England Under 21 honours.

“He’s played at a good level, but he’s never forgotten this club and this town, and it’s been great to welcome him back.

“Like myself, he’s a local lad who understands how important it is that the club is successful, and I think he’ll do a great job for us.

“He’s a strong, experienced player who knows the Championship inside-out, and with Martin Paterson also on board and further strikers to come, things are looking good.”