Jon Brady not surprised by Sam Hoskins' stunning form this season

Cobblers boss Jon Brady says he’s not surprised by Sam Hoskins’ stunning form this season after the forward added to his tally with a superb solo effort at Gillingham on Saturday.

Hoskins is the EFL’s top scorer with 13 goals this season, a feat made even more impressive by the fact he has been forced to miss several games due to illness and injury. Those 13 goals have come in just 13 starts.

Whilst the official statistics show only two assists, Hoskins has also created plenty of chances and goals for his team-mates, the latest coming at Priestfield on Saturday when he teed up Kieron Bowie in the second-half.

In the past, the 29-year-old has been a divisive figure among Cobblers supporters with some frustrated by his lack of consistency, but he is answering his critics in emphatic fashion this season. He’s already matched his best ever scoring season, which only came last year.

"No, he hasn’t surprised me,” said Brady, who has always been a huge admirer of Hoskins. “From the outset, back when I was with the youth team and I watched from a distance, I felt he was the best finisher at the club.

"Then I got a chance to work closer with him and his composure and his ability to be so clinical in key moments is something he has always had, but before I become manager, I don’t think he got much of an opportunity to play in such an offensive position consistently.

"With us, I feel he has played in more offensive, front-line positions and it’s not rocket science to work out why he’s now scoring more goals.

"You saw at the weekend, the types of runs he makes. Without giving too much away, we really work on certain types of runs and he’s purposefulness with that.

"He has to go and take that on board but he does that and he’s so good at it and knowing when it’s the right time to do it. It works to his strengths and I’m just so pleased that we have Sam Hoskins as our player at Northampton Town.”

Cobblers will miss the suspended Hoskins at Bradford City on Saturday but recent results on the road without him – including wins at Swindon and Stevenage and a draw at leaders Orient – prove he is not irreplaceable.

Brady added: "We went and scored three goals at Stevenage and that was without Sam Hoskins which shows what we can do.

"We can't live off that but it gives us confidence that we can deliver those sort of moments in those games without a key player and our top goalscorer.”