'My dream was to play for Glentoran': Recently retired Irish League star reflects on memory that 'will stick with me'

Now, just a matter of days after calling time on an Irish League career which spanned two decades, Hogg looks back at running out with the famous crest of his chest under European lights as “the biggest highlight”.

Scattered around Hogg’s childhood home were pictures of him and his dad on the pitch, while many of his favourite early memories centre on following the Irish League club across Northern Ireland.

The only thing that stopped Hogg avidly supporting Glentoran home and away was his own playing career, which started as a teenager in the youth ranks at The Oval before joining Crusaders.

However, Hogg would find his way back home in 2011, returning to East Belfast not as a fan, but as part of a squad under Scott Young that had celebrated League Cup glory the previous year.

Brought into compete with legend Elliott Morris – an icon who goalkeeper Hogg had trained alongside in his first stint – he was called upon for a crucial Europa League qualifying return leg against Renova Dzepciste.

On the biggest stage of his career to date, Hogg proved to be Glentoran’s hero, saving three penalties in the shoot-out as Young’s men sealed progression.

With many familiar faces in the stands, including his parents, Hogg still looks back on that July evening almost 15 years ago as the peak of his career.

“I'd left Crusaders, went on loan to Portadown, and then signed for the Glens that summer,” said Hogg. “I'm a boyhood Glens fan, all of my family are and still go home and away now.

"It was always my dream to play for Glentoran so when that opportunity came knocking...it was Scott Young who signed me.

"Elliott got sent off in the away leg and I played the home leg, that was my debut, we won 2-1 on the night and I saved three penalties.

"To be playing for Glentoran with my family there, my mum and dad, that's something that will stick with me.

"The photos up on the wall at my house were me on The Oval pitch with my dad. I was a season ticket holder up until 14 and I had signed for Glentoran at youth level and was playing for the reserves.

"Elliot was number one and I was training with him then. I had a couple of trials in England and ended up coming back to sign for Crusaders. To play for Glentoran, that's the biggest highlight of my career.

"I was at the League Cup final (in March) and was on the bus...you're trying not to get into it too much because you're still playing.

"When you're sitting in the stands watching it, you feel it inside you, you're still a Glenman at heart!”

Hogg spent 20 years playing in the Irish League, amassing hundreds of career appearances across spells with Crusaders, Portadown, Glens, Ards, Carrick Rangers and Dundela, where he finished following the most recent campaign.

With it not being possible to train and recovering from weekend matches taking longer than it once did, Hogg knew his playing days were coming to an end for a few months, but it didn’t make the reality of hanging up the gloves any easier.

"I struggled for a couple of weeks knowing it was coming to an end and thinking 'what am I going to do?', but I'm alright now,” he added. “The head still thinks I can do it, but it's the body, it was getting too sore after games.

"I wasn't able to apply myself 100%...I have never cheated it once, so it was time to call it a day.

"I've had a long list of injuries from ACLs to Achilles, but the last couple of years it has been more niggles.

"The time it takes to recover after matches on a Saturday, you're still sore on Monday and Tuesday and trying to train then on a Tuesday, I just couldn't.

"When I wasn't able to train I thought it was time to call it. I couldn't face doing another pre-season, going through six weeks of three or four nights per week, maybe three games a week, I just physically couldn't do it.

"I was told by so many people to let the body retire you, you'll know when the time is right because your body will tell you, and that's the way I felt at the end.

"The seasons are long, hard, and when you're a part-time footballer with work and family, it's tough.”

From silverware success to cup final appearances at Windsor Park, Hogg can now sit back to reflect on a career well spent – and with plans to move into coaching, passing on years of lessons learned to the next generation.

"I spoke to my dad and just said 'I can't do this anymore',” he said. “I made the decision myself, it was down to me.

"I was going to retire after Portadown – we'd won the Championship, got to the final of the League Cup, won the Mid-Ulster Cup and got to the Irish Cup quarter-finals. It was a long, successful year, had the kids on the pitch and all that good stuff.

"Stephen Gourley is a family friend and he always asked if I would give him a couple of years at the end and play for Dundela.

"I had 20 or 21 seasons, 16 of them were in the Premiership, I won the Championship with Portadown and got promoted with Carrick.

"I look back and think 'you've done ok'. If you had offered me 21 years playing in the Irish League back at the start, I would have snapped your hand off for it.”