Stuart Gray has been appointed as Sheffield Wednesday head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Gray, who has been in charge of the Owls since Dave Jones was sacked at the start of December, has presided over a run that has seen the South Yorkshire outfit move out of the relegation zone.

The club's chairman, Milan Mandaric, said that he wanted to take his time appointing a full-time manager following the dismissal of Jones.

"I didn't want to make a quick and aggressive decision," Mandaric told the club's official YouTube channel.

"I wanted to give us time and make sure it was the right decision. You can't just make a decision from one or two games. It paid off.

Mandaric went on to say that the performances since Gray took charge, as well as the results, proved that he deserved the role.

"The results are most important, but also the strategy of playing the game, scoring some goals, say that he is the right man," he said.

"The response of the players and everyone else around Stuart really showed that he is the right character of the job."

Former Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock and Roy Keane were both linked with the post, but Gray has been handed the job after winning half of the 12 matches that he has been in charge of.