Jonathan previews an exciting 2015/16
- The midfielder aims to be a regular this season after his last campaign was hampered by injury
- 26 year-old believes Town’s team has nothing to fear in the Championship
- Wants consistency to become a priority
Jonathan Hogg didn’t feature as much as he would’ve liked in 2014/15 due to a series of niggling injuries, so the midfielder has been making up for lost time over the last few weeks.
Jonathan only featured in 27 of Town’s fixtures last season, including three substitute appearances, with his last coming in the 2-2 home draw with Blackburn Rovers in April.
Since then Hogg has outlined his intentions to stake a regular spot in Chris Powell’s side by starting pre-season early, concentrating on his strength and conditioning at PPG Canalside during the closed season.
Jonathan is hoping this sets the foundation for a campaign he believes can be an important one for the Club.
“I’ve been in most of the summer making sure next year is going to be a big one for all of us,” said Hogg when speaking to htafc.com.
“Hopefully next year my legs will be a lot stronger and flexible to prevent these injuries. It kills me when I’m injured, like it does all the lads. It’s frustrating when you are.”
Hogg is entering his third season at ‘The Yorkshire Club’ and admitted he would love to stay here for even longer, as he explained:
“I’d love to stay here; I’m really enjoying it. I just need to get these injury problems sorted and I’ll be ready to go next season.”
It was evident that Jonathan puts a lot of the confidence and eagerness around the Club down to the influence of Manager Chris Powell, who he says has given Town a new lease of life.
“He gives the lads confidence to go out and play. He’s a very positive man and I think that’s what we needed. We have a young squad and we needed someone to come in and give you confidence. I think the Manager is the right person to bring the young players on. It’s a good club to be at, especially for the young players.
“He came in last year and we played brilliantly when he did. Now we can aim to start where we left off last season with an unbeaten run.
As one of the elder statesmen in Town’s ranks at just 26 years old, the central midfield thinks now is the time to step up and take the lead more than ever.
“I realise the young players will look up to me, if I’m honest. If there’s a problem they’ll always come to the likes of me, Huds (Mark Hudson) and faces like that around the dressing room.”
He believes with the right blend of youth and experience, Town have nothing to fear in the Sky Bet Championship – but need to address a few issues that arose last season.
“We need to adapt a different style of play when teams come to our place and sit back, to maybe break a team down.
“Also, when we’re out of possession we need to get better; get behind the ball, have a good shape, work together and communicate as a team a lot more.
With the pre-season schedule not too far away, which includes a trip to Spain for the squad after the initial pre-season friendly at Guiseley, Hogg feels the preparations for the new campaign will benefit not only himself but the squad as a whole both tactically and physically.
“I can imagine some new faces coming in, either bringing experience or a fresh, young pair of legs.” Hogg said ahead of Dean Whitehead’s arrival yesterday.
“That’s what pre-season is all about; getting fit and making sure you’re ready for the start of the season.”
Town start the season with a mouth-watering Yorkshire derby against recently-relegated Hull City at the KC Stadium on Saturday 8 August.
Jonathan concluded: “It’s a team game and we need to make sure that we all pull together and make sure everybody is at it.”
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