HOGAN CATCHES THE GOALS BUG
Striker defies illness to rout Hatters
SCOTT HOGAN has the goals bug once again thanks to Birmingham manager Lee Bowyer.
The striker scored twice as City ran riot at Luton.
And although Bowyer denied him the chance of a hat-trick by substituting him with half an hour to go there were no complaints – Hogan had been ill and kept it quiet fron his boss.
He said: “I didn’t let on to the gaffer and he might shout at me now, but I had been really unwell. I didn’t sleep a wink the night before and felt terrible, but I really wanted to play.
“After 20 minutes I was done, I was gassed out. I didn’t want to come off after 60 minutes on two goals but I’d been that unwell had I stayed on it could have been 4-3 to them because I had nothing left. The team’s more important and thankfully we scored another two.”
Baby Hart Hogan, 20 months, was the cause of her dad’s discomfort. He said: “My daughter caught a bug at nursery and my missus got it too. I’d been sweet all week but rang my missus the morning before the game and said, ‘I’ve got it’. I knew it was coming. You really want to play for this manager so thankfully I got away with it.”
Defender Marc Roberts opened the scoring with a header from a corner and Hogan doubled the lead, nodding home a Tahith Chong delivery. Chong raced clear for Hogan’s second and subs Gary Gardner and Chuks Aneke struck late on to humiliate the Hatters.
Boss Nathan Jones knows Luton have problems defending corners and until skipper Sonny Bradley returns from Covid it might stay that way. He said: “It took away his energy. He’s struggled. He’s training, it’s about building him up as it’s been pretty much a month out.”