Hoskins enjoys being one of Cobblers' more senior men

There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes and Sam Hoskins walking out at Sixfields in Cobblers claret.

The versatile forward has survived another summer of upheaval and evolution, both on and off the pitch, to make it to his seventh season at the club.

His 246 Cobblers appearances are well over 100 more than anyone else in the current squad. Shaun McWilliams is next with 116.

He is very much one of the senior men, not just in games played but also age. Whilst he’s still in his peak at 28, only four players in the squad are older than him.

“I do feel a little bit more responsibility to help the new lads settle in,” he admitted.

“I’ve been here over six years now so I’m quite accustomed to the surroundings and it’s nice to be able to help.

“Sometimes it can be tough when there are such big changes. I’ve been here before when there’s been quite a lot of change in the summer and then we’ve struggled a bit.

“But we have a really strong group with a lot of good characters and good experience and there’s also a mix of older heads and younger players and I think that’s a very good mix.

“A lot of it is about what we do on the pitch but off the pitch is important as well and I feel we have quite a close group already, which is always a good thing.”

One of the secrets of Hoskins’ success has been his versatility.

Even just two appearances into the new season, he has already played on the right-wing, at wing-back and at right-back.

But with Jon Brady playing 4-4-2, it’s on the right side of midfield where he’s most at home.

“I would say that’s probably my best position,” he said. “I get a fair bit of the ball there whereas other formations potentially don’t allow that.

“But I’ve said it before, I’m happy to play anywhere. As long as I’m on the pitch, I’ll do a job as best as I can for the team, and in a weird kind of way, playing a different position takes the pressure off.

“At Coventry, I finished the game at right-back and I enjoyed the challenge. I've played there a couple of times before but it's almost as if you're not expected to do well so when you do play well, it's even better.

"But it's just enjoyable being on the pitch and playing anywhere. I don't mind being moved around but ideally I would like to play in my strongest position. But whatever the team needs, I'm there to do.

“But I would say on the right of a 4-4-2 is my favoured position.”