Those who have followed the EFL over the last seven or eight years will be familiar with the name Sam Hoskins, the 29-year-old winger who is currently on fire for Northampton Town in League Two.
One of the reasons it is difficult to find success in League Two, League One, and the Championship is the length of the season – keeping good form over 46 games takes some serious steel, but a reliable goalscorer always helps. In Sam Hoskins, Northampton seem to have exactly that this season, with the winger banging in 11 goals in just 10 league games: quite the remarkable start to the season.
It is his form that has helped Town become a feared team early on, with the Cobblers currently sitting in second place, second only to Leyton Orient who are currently enjoying the best start a team has ever had in England’s fourth tier. Hoskins is currently the top scorer in the division and was awarded the Player of the Month award for August.
In this scout report, we will provide a tactical analysis of Hoskins’ style of play – looking at how he fits into Northampton’s tactics and how he has managed to be in fine scoring form despite not even playing as a striker. There will also be an analysis of how he contributes to build-up play phases and general possession.
For the purpose of this scout report, any data used will be from this season’s EFL League Two only.
Player profile
At 29 years of age, Sam Hoskins is a player with good experience. Most of his career has been spent in League One and League Two and he’s racked up almost 300 games across those two levels. He also has a small amount of Championship experience from his time at Yeovil Town. He has, however, been a staple of Town for six years and has appeared for Northampton on more than 300 occasions in all competitions. His previous clubs include Yeovil, Stevenage, Rotherham United, and the current Premier League club Southampton.
Standing at 5”7”, he isn’t a player who relies on his aerial ability or strength, but more on his pace and agility. Throughout his career, he has mainly operated on the left flank, right flank, and as a centre-forward – as we can see from his heatmap of this season so far, his versatility is still coming in handy.
The key to his sublime scoring form
Hoskins’ natural position on the pitch is as a winger, so his primary role has rarely been to be the goalscorer of the team, more the chance creator. He is, however, no stranger to a goal, having scored 81 career goals so far. Without a doubt, though, he has never had a purple patch like he’s had in the early stages of the current campaign. This segment of analysis will look to uncover why he has been so effective in front of goal this season.
The analysis above is a still image taken less than a second before Hoskins unleashed a half-volley into the bottom corner. The move itself was a classic – a throw-in launched into the box towards a physically gifted player, who wins his aerial duel to knock the ball towards Hoskins. As you will see in the analysis that follows, Hoskins has the ability to find unoccupied space and make the most of it.
