Stuart Gray has been appointed as head coach of Sheffield Wednesday.

Gray has put pen to paper on a two and a half year deal.

The 53-year-old took the reins on a temporary basis following the departure of Dave Jones in December 2013 and has since engineered a significant Championship revival.

The Owls were six points adrift of safety and ensconced in the relegation zone but are now 19th in the table and two points clear of danger.

Gray has also steered Wednesday to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Chairman Milan Mandaric said: “I am very happy to say that Stuart has been appointed head coach of Sheffield Wednesday.



“When he was initially asked to step in, his brief was to get us out of the bottom three, get some wins and clean sheets, and make some tangible progress on the pitch.

“Stuart has achieved all those things, he was given the chance to impress and has taken that chance with both hands.”

The chairman then outlined his long term vision for the club by revealing his intention to appoint a director of football at Hillsborough.

He explained: “I am trying to implement a modern type of football management and structure of the club.



“In principle, Stuart’s title allows him to do the same job, he has full power and responsibility but eventually I would like to introduce a director of football to partner with Stuart and his staff.



“I am looking at the bigger picture for where this club needs to go and in a modern football environment for the long term benefit of Sheffield Wednesday.



“This is a big club that needs to go places and this will modernise the structure of the football side.”