Hogg says first half sub against Gillingham 'is on me' after admitting surprise at slow start

Cobblers fell behind seven minutes into the League Two fixture at Priestfield after Joe Wormleighton’s misjudgement allowed an unmarked Conor McManus to head in at the back post.

Wormleighton seemed somewhat off-colour in his role at wing-back and as Town struggled to establish a foothold, Hogg was proactive in shaking things up. Wormleighton was hooked inside half-an-hour, replaced by Sam Hoskins, and the visitors also tweaked formation.

“I love Joe Wormleighton as a player and as a person and he’s done really well,” said Hogg. “I just felt we needed to change it and that’s on me in terms of how we started the game and the team I picked.

“I didn’t expect us to start like that after how we trained in the week but I think sometimes you have to remember what’s happening on the pitch as a coach and I didn’t want to wait until half-time. At that point in the game, with how we had started, we wanted to change something.

“That’s not how we want to start games and I just had to change tactics. Sam has trained really well and I thought he came on and had an impact in helping us get back in the game.”

A fine finish from Logan Briggs earned Cobblers a point in Kent, but they might have left with more had Gillingham lost a man inside the first 15 minutes. Robbie McKenzie had already been booked for a wild lunge when he dived in on Matty Warhurst, however referee Elliott Swallow only awarded a free-kick and decided against reaching for a second yellow card.

"My job is not to referee the game, thankfully,” said Hogg with a wry smile. “We all have our opinions, I have mine and you might be able to see from my face what I think, but I'm not going to stand here and comment on the referee's decision.

“I want a good product and I want a full complement of players and the referee's got a difficult job as it is, especially with some of the new rules. He was having to count down the throw-ins and other bits and it makes it a very difficult job. I don't envy what they do.”

Nathan Opoku made his debut for Northampton when replacing Matty Warhurst in the second half.

"Nathan made a good impact,” added Hogg. “He helped us get up the pitch. It was a difficult moment to come in with the momentum in the game and the conditions and how Gillingham were testing us.

“He showed some of his attributes and he's different to what we've got in the building. I think you saw that in his little spell on the pitch and he'll be a good footballer for us.”