Chris Hogg chats all things Cobblers on the eve of the 2026/27 season

A little more than 11 weeks since he first walked through the Sixfields gates, Hogg has been busy shaping his squad, making changes behind the scenes and overseeing a busy pre-season campaign.

Ultimately, though, Hogg and his team will be judged by what they produce on the pitch once the serious stuff starts at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Here, the new Town boss gives his thoughts and feelings on the season ahead...

His first competitive game as Northampton manager

"It doesn't really feel much different to be honest. I'm very level as a character anyway and I just see my job as giving the boys the best possible platform to go and express themselves and to perform.

"We want to give them fulfilment in terms of what we do day to day and that won't change, whether that's this Saturday or the weeks to come. I love working with people and I love what I do. It's been good to see some progress throughout pre-season and I'm feeling really good.”

Progress from the first day of pre-season to now

"I'm pleased with where the group is. We're evolving and that's all you can ask for because life never stands still and we're constantly changing as people and the world and environment constantly changes.

"The team and the club have to do that as well because, if you don't, you get left behind, and I think you've seen good signs of progress over the last six weeks.

"But six weeks is a very short period of time in the context of where we want to go and we are grounded enough to understand that. We know where we want to get to and it's about taking mini steps forward to get there.”

Moving on from last season

"I'm not interested in the past. I wasn't here last season and my experiences are very different from everyone else's. For me, we have to take the focus away from outcomes and go back to the process behind what we want to build.

"My attention in on trying to progress the team and the club and there are certain elements as to how we're going to play which have to be our focus. It's not going to be perfect on Saturday but it's a chance to put a marker in the sand and see where we are in a competitive environment.

“After that, we have 46 league games, and other competitions, to get better and better and better. That's all the fans want ultimately. I've spoken to quite a few and they want to see a team that behaves in the right way and represents the club properly and never gives up on the football pitch. They've been very understanding of where we're at and what we've got to do."

Has he set goals for the season?

“I truly believe in trying to live in the present as much as you can. A lot of anxiety and a lot of pressure can come from focusing too much on the future. I think it’s a waste of time.

“My message to the boys is about progress and taking it game by game and day by day. I’m big on trying to be the best you can every day. It sounds cheesy but my message is - don’t worry about running the marathon, just take your first step as best as you can and then take the next step as best you can.

“If you do that, you don’t worry too much about what’s to come. As a club, we need a season of purpose and one that’s full of passion and honesty and ultimately all we want to see is progress, on and off the pitch. But I’m very aware that we live in a results business, and I want to win more than anything.”

‘Weird’ to have cup game first

"Games will obviously have more heat on them and it will be interesting to see how the players respond. It's a bit different to start in the Carabao Cup but it's still an extension of what we do. It's a competitive game and we want to go there and give a good account of ourselves and try to progress in the competition.

"It does feel a bit weird, I don't know how other people feel, but things are magnified as soon as you have a competitive element and normally it's a league game, or even two league games, before you play a cup game.

"It'll be a new experience for the boys to have to step into that environment straightaway. It's about who we are, what we do and how we continue to build on pre-season.”

Message to the fans

“I came to a few games last season and even though things were obviously difficult, they still stayed behind their team. I’ve spoken to a number of fans since I came in and they are realistic in terms of where we’re at.

“All we can do is be as positive as possible and try our best to give the fans something to get behind. That’s all I ask of the fans and it’s all I’ve ever wanted as a fan myself - for the players and staff to give everything on a Saturday or Tuesday. It won’t be a perfect season and we’ll have ups and downs but we’ll give it everything to be successful.”