Sharpshooter Hooper targets departed Miller's goal tally

IT DOESN'T appear to say much for the strikers they left behind that, until a fortnight ago, the two leading Scottish Premier League scorers, Kenny Miller and Conor Sammon, were men who had vacated the country way back in January.

However, Celtic's Gary Hooper believes the final standings could be more flattering. The Englishman, who along Dundee United's David Goodwillie has moved to 16 goals, ahead of Sammon, who, with Hooper's team-mate Anthony Stokes is on 15, doesn't see Miller's 21 goals as out of reach with five games to play. Even if the title chase is the priority, Hooper comes up against Goodwillie's side at Parkhead this afternoon before Wednesday sees him share a pitch with one of the early pacesetters Adam Rooney at the home of Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

"The main thing is the three points every game but at the back of my mind I'm still going for top scorer in the SPL. We'll see," says the 23-year-old, recruited from Doncaster Rovers in a 2.4m deal last summer. It might seem extraordinary for no player to top Miller, who has continued his rich scoring form since his transfer window move to Turkish side Bursaspor, but with Hooper missing 12 league games through injuries he has actually only made three more SPL appearances than the former Ibrox forward. Almost two months sidelined through injury is why he can be content with his 18-goal return across all competitions, with the hope of more to come. And but for more than three months out, Rangers Nikica Jelavic, on 13 from 20 league appearances, might also have put up stiffer competition to Miller.

"I am happy with my first season and everyone would be in my position," says Hooper. "The biggest surprise has been the Celtic-Rangers games. You don't realise how good, how exciting they are, until you play in them. I've played in six now and scored three goals. That's not bad, is it?"

SPL top guns

21 Miller (Rangers)*

16 Goodwillie (Dundee United)

16 Hooper (Celtic)

15 Stokes (Celtic)†

15 Sammon (Kilmarnock)**

14 Higdon (St Mirren)

13 Jelavic (Rangers)

13 Rooney (Inverness)

13 Skacel (Hearts)

12 Blackman (M'well/A'deen)

10 Sutton (Motherwell)

10 Riordan (Hibernian)

10 Naismith (Rangers)

9 Vernon (Aberdeen) *now Bursaspor; **now Wigan

† includes one goal for Hibs