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Scott Hogan admits he 'didn't enjoy one bit' of his time at Aston Villa and is keen to make Stoke move permanent
Aston Villa misfit Scott Hogan wants to earn a permanent move to Stoke City after scoring his first goal - his first two, he claims - for the Potteries club in their 2-2 draw with Derby on Saturday, admitting that a difficult two years at Villa eroded his appetite for the game.
The Republic of Ireland striker was signed by Steve Bruce for £9 million from Brentford in January 2017 but found himself out of favour after Bruce was replaced by Dean Smith - ironically his former Brentford boss.
He played no part in last season’s Villa promotion campaign, which left him feeling somewhat out in the cold.
“It was a difficult time and I didn’t enjoy one bit of it,” he said. “I just didn’t fit in. It’s not enjoyable going in everyday when you are not playing or are not in the squad.
“I was guilty of losing my hunger a little bit when I got my move to Villa and all that went with it. But it’s taught me a lot. I have to use it as a learning curve and get back to where I was.”
The healing process began with a six-month loan to Sheffield United, where he had the consolation of taking part in a promotion celebration anyway as the Blades finished runners-up to Norwich.
“It gave me that hunger and love and enjoyment back,” he said. “I want to do the same this year and get this club back into the Premier League. It depends on having a good season but hopefully it leads to a long-term deal.”
Hogan says being reunited with Lee Gregory, a free transfer signing from Millwall in Stoke’s rebuild under Nathan Jones, is helping.
“I played non-league with him at Halifax and we’ve both come up through the ranks, from scraping the barrel for work.
“I had all sorts of job - cleaning toilets, factory working, flipping tyres onto belts. Gregs was an electrician if I remember rightly.”
Gregory set up Hogan for what was officially credited as his first Stoke goal as he put his new side in front in the second half, although he says Stoke’s earlier equaliser, recorded as a first for ex-Barnsley defender Liam Lindsay, was also his.
“He’s jumped and headed it and it’s hit me on the face and gone on in, so it’s my goal,” Hogan said.
Stoke took a first point of the season for their brightest performance so far under Jones, although Martyn Waghorn, who had given Derby an early lead and then levelled from the penalty spot, missed a late chance to turn it into a third defeat.
