COLWYN Bay manager Craig Hogg has been reflecting on his first few months at the helm.

The form assistant took over from manager Alan Morgan five months on Saturday, and he has transformed the Seagulls’ from relegation candidates to playoff contenders in a relatively short space of time.

The 37-year-old UEFA A Licence candidate stated “management has taught me much” in his early stages in the dugout, but there is now a genuine sense of optimism at the Four Crosses Construction Arena after a period of uncertainty.

Hogg, said: “I feel it’s been a really positive experience and it’s certainly changed my outlook on the game, people and how I look at myself in an open and honest way.

“I’ve learnt more than I ever thought I would, especially when comparing this to any other stage of my playing or coaching career so far.

“Colwyn Bay is a big club here in North Wales and opportunities like this don’t often come around, I felt it was the right time to have a go and try and put a stamp on how I think the game should be played, when the role became available.

“This league is so tough and I can’t stress that enough. Anyone is capable of beating anyone on the day. There have been some really difficult places to go and some very hard lessons to learn.”

Squad shortages did not help Hogg’s cause early on, but he and assistant Neil Coverley have now formed a formidable squad littered with young talent that seem to have gelled significantly well of late.

“In those early weeks we had massive issues with player availability through International Clearance, player injury and suspension, followed by frequent seven days’ notice of approach for the players who were already signed here,” added Hogg.

“On top of that we have a squad of players with an average age of 21, with some playing their first competitive games at senior football level. That brought with it certain challenges to, but challenges I feel they the lads have more than overcome.”

Hogg also paid tribute to the impact that Coverley has made at the club, with the former Seagulls’ skipper even coming out of a seven-year retirement on occasions and turned in a series of exceptional displays to aid his side’s cause.

He said: “You surround yourself with like-minded people in life and I’ve been very lucky to have ‘Covs’.

“He’s an excellent coach, great in the dressing room and he and I share the same football philosophy.

“Most importantly we are open and straight with each other and the players we work with and that’s been vital for us as a dressing room.

“The mind set we had going into those early weeks and games was to not get beat, until the cavalry arrived so to speak.

“But we hung on in there, stuck to our playing principles and managed to get points.

‘I was set the target of league survival by the board when I took the job. We now have 11 games to go to get the points needed to be mathematically safe – it’s very much in our hands.

“To achieve survival this season and in this league would be one of the happiest and proudest moments I think I will have had in football, under the circumstances.”