PAT HOBAN HAS signed for League Two side Mansfield Town but the deal hasn’t been without its controversy.
It seemed the 24-year-old, who was crowned the League of Ireland’s top scorer in 2014 while with Dundalk, was set for a switch to Lincoln City after being released by Oxford.
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A local newspaper spoke to the Imps and published an online story about Hoban’s signing that was subsequently deleted.
It would appear that Hoban changed his mind at the last minute and felt Mansfield offered him a better opportunity.
Hoban managed over 40 league appearances for Oxford in his two seasons there but was sent out on loan twice last term – to Stevenage and Grimsby.
In May, he was part of the Grimsby team, along with Padraig Amond, that won promotion back to the Football League after a 3-1 victory over Forest Green Rovers at Wembley, coming on as a late substitute.
“Once I heard Mansfield were interested, I said ‘yes’ straightaway”, Hoban told the club’s website.
I like to think I can hold up the ball quite well so that’s how the manager’s briefed it to me but I’d like to add goals to it too.”
Hoban is the club’s sixth signing of the summer and manager Adam Murray thinks the Galway native can bring something different to the team.
“We’ve been a fan of Pat’s for a long time”, he said.
We inquired about him in January. He’s an old-school number 9, a proper centre-forward. We’re not putting tremendous pressure on him to go out and score 20 or 30 goals. He’s got an ingredient that we felt we really missed last season which is his hold-up play and link-up play.”
Mansfield will hope Hoban can help them build on a mid-table finish last term.
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