Sam Hoskins proud to enter the top 10 in Cobblers' all-time list

Sam Hoskins scored his 18th goal of the season and 71st in total for the club, but he also entered the top 10 on the all-time list of Cobblers appearance makers.

This was his 327th game in claret, moving him level with 1920s goalkeeper Leonard Hammond and one-club man Roly Mills, whose career spanned the 50s and 60s.

He made it 328 against Mansfield on Tuesday and in the next week or so, Hoskins will likely surpass two more legends and enter the top seven, although he has some way to go to catch Tommy Fowler’s record of 552.

Then again, no-one would have predicted he’d still be at the club in 2023 when he first joined on trial in 2015.

"It’s definitely a proud moment,” admitted Hoskins. “I've said it before but I don't think anyone thought I'd be here this long when I first signed – I know I didn't!

"But it's a great club to be at and it's really well run and I've seen progression in all aspects so to be able to work my way up and be in the top 10 appearance-makers of all-time, that makes me feel proud."

Regardless of the manager – and Cobblers have had their fair share –Hoskins has almost always been a regular.

"The main aim for me when I first signed was just to play games,” he added. "Over the years, I've found myself on the pitch a lot.

"We've had several different managers but all of them have put their faith in me. It's always nice to be shown that faith and to play as many games as I have for this club is brilliant and it does make me proud.

"I want to keep pushing up the ladder because I feel settled and happy here and I think that shows on the pitch because I've probably played some of my best football in these last two seasons.

"It's obviously always nice to be pitching in with goals and assists and that's a lot to do with me being settled."

Despite a recent wobble, Hoskins sees progress, adding: "I definitely think the club are progressing and it shows where we are that people feel disappointed about being fourth in the league.

"We have been through a tough time but that's going to happen in a season, it's not going to be all plain-sailing.

"It says a lot about the mentality because we feel disappointed as well but there are still plenty of games to play and we believe we can still finish in the top three.

"We just have to keep plugging away and keep grinding out results.”