Kear has overseen an upturn in fortunes since his arrival

He was initially appointed on 24 July until the end of the current campaign after taking over from Tony Smith.

But the 51-year-old, who inspired wins over Castleford and the Catalans in his first two games, has agreed a new deal until the end of the 2007 season.

"John has put some good structures in place since he was appointed," said chief executive Steve Ferres.

"The short-term appointment gave everyone at the club a chance to find out more about John's coaching philosophy and John has had a chance to have a good look at the club.

If we have to take a step back to take two steps forward, so be it John Kear

"I am pleased to announce that in both cases the response has been extremely positive as the level of performance on the pitch has shown."

Despite their upturn in form, Wakefield remain a point adrift of Castleford, who they face in the final round of matches, and two behind Wigan and Huddersfield.

Their next two games are away at Super League leaders St Helens, on Friday, and Bradford, but Kear is happy to commit himself to the club despite their predicament.

"I consider myself a Super League coach and will give all my best endeavours to ensure that I am still a Super League coach next year," he said.

"But if we have to take a step back to take two steps forward, so be it. However, the infrastructure is right for progress at this club."