Hogg full of praise for teenage defender after impressive Cobblers debut
Cobblers boss Chris Hogg was full of praise for academy defender Bobby Ashton after the 16-year-old impressed on his Northampton Town debut.
The Northampton-born defender, who has been with the club since the age of nine, started at left-back against Brighton Under-21s in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday and was the one big bright spot on an otherwise disappointing night.
“I thought he was terrific,” said Hogg. “He’s 16 and he’s trained with us quite regularly to be honest. It was a really good step for him tonight and he should be proud of himself because he stepped up and played in a tough game against a very good Brighton side who have some top youth players.
“I thought he was really good. He’s been solid in terms of his character and attitude since I’ve come into the club and got to know him. Credit to him and credit to his family and he’s a green shoot for me tonight. Seeing a young player come in and take their opportunity is always a good thing.
“League Two games will look different to that and that’ll be a different challenge for him but he’s definitely taken a step in the right direction.
“He’s now got to keep working hard every day and keep trying to improve, but he was a real positive for us.”
Cobblers were well beaten by the young Seagulls as their hopes of another deep run in the EFL Trophy took a significant dent.
Hogg added: "I'm constantly learning and we're at the formative stage of my journey. Brighton took their chances, they were ruthless and we weren't and that's a theme which we have to keep working on.
"But I thank the supporters again and, to be fair, I thought they were great. They stuck behind the boys even at the end when we had a few chances. Credit to them and we thank them for that.”