Hoskins says it was an 'easy decision' to sign new contract with Cobblers

Sam Hoskins described it as an ‘easy decision’ to sign a new long-term deal with the Cobblers, one which will extend his stay at the club to beyond a decade.

First signed as a 22-year-old in 2015, Hoskins has had ups and downs in his eight years at Sixfields but the last 12 months have only been positive, both on a personal level and for the team in general.

He became the first Cobblers player in over 30 years to score 20 league goals in a season as he played an integral role in winning promotion last term, and already this season he’s on three goals in five League One games.

The 30-year-old would not have been short on offers had he decided to take a look around, but that was never really an option.

"It was a pretty straightforward decision to be honest,” said Hoskins. “I've had a brilliant time at the club so far and I wanted to extend that even further because it's a great opportunity to continue the success I've had here.

"The way we're playing at the moment and the ambition of the club made it an easy decision. It's always much better when you're settled and you're playing week in, week out and the team's playing well and all of that just made it easier to stay here.”

Reflecting on his eight years, he continued: "I came here on trial to start with and when I first signed a short-term deal back in 2015, I didn't think I'd be here for this long! I don't think anyone did.

"But over the years, I've played a lot and the club have had success. Obviously there have been some downs as well but the club is definitely going in the right direction and my aim is to keep pushing the club even higher.

"It's a great place to be, the coaches, all the staff at the club, the players, everyone here is brilliant to be around and it's a joy to come in and train and play every day. I'm really happy here.”

Hoskins joins several others at the club who are under contract for the next few years. He added: "It's such an exciting place to be and we have a lot of players who are tied down for the next few years, which was another reason for me wanting to stay.

"It's important for me to be able to continue those relationships on and off the pitch and we've had a good start to the season, especially with how we're playing, and hopefully we can continue that and keep pushing up the league.”