Hunt eyes promotion as new deal agreed

STEPHEN HUNT yesterday vowed to help Reading seal an immediate return to the Premier League after agreeing a one-year extension to his current contract.

The Republic of Ireland winger’s decision to commit his future to the club comes as something of a surprise as he had been strongly linked with a £5 million move to Wigan in the transfer window but has now agreed a deal that ties him to the Royals until the summer of 2012.

Hunt was part of the Reading team relegated last season and says his aim now is to secure a return to the top flight this season.

“I’m determined to have a big impact in the next three months and help get this club promoted,” he said. “The next seven or eight games are very important, we need to get as many points on the board as possible by the end of March to put us in a strong position for the run-in.

“I’ve always said that I’m very happy here and signing this contract shows my commitment.” He added: “Even if people had come in for me on deadline from clubs I’ve been linked with, I wouldn’t have gone there.

“I’m happy where I am and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and hopefully we can kick on and get points on the board.

“We want to be in the Premier League and my big aim is to get in a lot of crosses and score lots of goals. I’m determined to have a big impact on the rest of the season.

“The speculation wasn’t really playing on my mind, But I think the best is still to come from me and hopefully the fans will see that over the next few months.”

Reading’s director of football Nick Hammond added: “There has been a lot of speculation about Stephen but we have worked hard to find a solution to keep him here.

“The most important thing for us in January was keeping the squad together and we have done that.

“People are aware about the £5m clause in his contract but we never had an offer that met that figure. And I must say Stephen’s commitment throughout has been outstanding.”