Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
COLIN MILLAR AARON IS KEEPING IT CLEAN
By Hogg form in goal vital to Carrick’s rise up the table
CARRICK RANGERS are the form team in the Championship and with five clean sheets in the last eight games goalkeeper Aaron Hogg has been instrumental in their success. The 30-year-old has spent the majority of his career in the top flight across Portadown, Crusaders, Glentoran and Ards but regular football ensures he is now thriving. “I’m enjoying my football and that’s the main thing for any player,” Hogg told Match On Tuesday.
“I spent five years at Glentoran as an understudy to Elliott Morris and I learnt so much from him, but I think I maybe stayed there for too long.
“I joined when I was 22 and only left when I was 27 so it was a big chunk of my career but it really improved me as a goalkeeper.
“I then was first choice at Ards and got a lot of games there but now I’m playing every single week and really looking forward to every match.
“The manager and coaching staff here have a lot of faith in me and they’re encouraging me and things like that really do help you. “There’s no point being at a club where you’re just sitting on the bench because your career will be over before it even starts and you’re wondering where it all went, so now I’m savouring every week.”
Saturday’s 2-0 win over runaway league leaders Larne was a statement victory, with the 30-year-old saving David Mcdaid’s penalty when the match was delicately poised at 1-0 in the second half. “Goals win games and that was a massive moment in the game,” the goalkeeper explained.
“Of course, on a personal level it felt really good as I’ve made mistakes that have cost points this season, so it was great to have a big positive moment like that.
“At 1-0 it was a crucial moment in the game as it meant we still had something to hold on to and gave us the platform to push on to the win.
“To have won three games in a row and be in this vein of form is fantastic and towards the end of the match it was reasonably comfortable for us.
“To beat the runaway league leaders 2-0 is obviously a really pleasing result but we had targeted two wins from the three matches, so Saturday was a little bit of a free hit for us.
“We knew we could not open up and play expansive football against Larne, they have quality players and if you go toe-totoe against that then you’ll likely be punished.”
As Carrick first team coach Clifford Adams explained to Match On Tuesday a month ago, the team’s formation switch to 3-5-2 earlier in the campaign has worked wonders for their fortunes.
“The switch of formation has been really key for our defensive record,” continued Hogg.
“It has allowed us to have a really solid system with Reece Neale and Lee Chapman out wide who can drop back when they are needed.
“Kyle Mccauley has come into the side in recent games due to injuries and has been fantastic, but all those defensive players have been vital for keeping clean sheets.
“But the secret really is in the workrate of the team, the likes of Michael Smith and Stewart Nixon up front don’t stop running and that sets the tone for the entire team.
“When you don’t concede many goals you’ll win a lot more games than you lose and all credit for that has to go to the manager and the coaching staff.”
Next up for Niall Currie’s side is an Irish Cup fifth round trip to top flight side Ards, whom Hogg played for last season.
“There’s not a massive gap between the top teams in the Championship and those around the foot of the table in the top flight,” analysed the goalkeeper.
“All the pressure will be on Ards, they are the Premier League club and they have home advantage – so we are looking at it as being able to show what we can do without any huge expectations.
“If you look at our team and those around the top of this division, most of those players have experience of being in the top division or have the ability to be at that level.
“The quality of the top flight has definitely improved in recent years but that has a knock-on effect for the Championship because players then filter down to this level.
“This is my first season in the Championship and it’s a really tough league, most players in the Premiership probably aren’t aware just how high the level is.
“Every team has the capability of beating anyone else and there’s a marginal difference between all of the teams, but at the moment we have momentum and form.”