Hogg expects Cobblers to be 'more aggressive' and 'much better' against Oldham
Cobblers boss Chris Hogg is expecting a significant improvement in performance level when his side host Oldham Athletic at Sixfields on Tuesday.
Elliott List’s last-minute equaliser against Accrington on Saturday did not disguise what had been a below-par performance in Hogg’s eyes, and he is anticipating a response on Tuesday.
"The talk at the end of the game was yes, well done, but there's a realism as well,” said the Town manager. “Good teams at any level get something out of games when not at their best and I truly believe we are developing into a good team.
“This is part of the journey and part of the experience and it's another step in the right direction from a mentality point of view to never give in and never give up.
"But we have to keep pushing and keep fighting. It won't be perfect every week. I've been in football a long time and I've stood on the touchline at Accrington before and watched similar games and you've been beaten two or three.
"I'm really pleased with the resilience and character but we know we have to be much, much better, the boys are aware of that and they'll be ready to go on Tuesday.
“We have to go back to Sixfields and be more aggressive, own the middle of the pitch, have real intent and be front footed and bring our best attacking performance to capitalise on this moment.”
Hogg has only made two changes across the last five matches, but it was his substitutes that helped turn the tide against Accrington on Saturday.
He added: “I’m really happy with the impact the subs have made in the last couple of games and people have to keep stepping up and challenging and training properly every day.
“We have players with different strengths. When you’re picking teams, sometimes consistency is key but it’s also feelings and it’s what you see day-to-day. The message is to train hard, compete and do your best and there’ll be changes to the team as we go through the season.”
Cobblers haven’t won a league match at Sixfields on a Tuesday for more than three years.
“I don’t believe in anything like that,” Hogg said. “We’re in control of certain things and what we can control is going out there and producing a performance that gives us a result.
“We’ll be as positive as we can and you can see the real improvement in the last few weeks.”