Newcastle United have confirmed that Town U23s joint-manager Chris Hogg has joined their staff as U23s coach, as revealed by TWTD last week.
Hogg had been coaching with the Town academy since hanging up his boots after leaving Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2013.
The 34-year-old worked his way up the age groups before assisting Alan Lee with the U18s and for the last few seasons Gerard Nash with the U23s, helping them to top Professional Development League Two South last season.
The Middlesbrough-born former central defender assisted Bryan Klug during his spells as caretaker-boss in 2018 and briefly worked with the first team during Paul Hurst's time in charge.
"Chris has gained a lot of experience here working at all levels in the academy and with the U23s,” Town’s general manager football operations Lee O’Neill told the club site.
"He is well liked by the players and staff at the club. We are obviously sorry to see him go but understand that it’s an opportunity for him to develop his career.
"We may see him back at the club one day in the future. Who knows in football but we wish him the best of luck.”
Hogg told the Magpies official site: "I’m delighted to be here, for several reasons really.
"First of all, to challenge myself in a new environment and to kick on as a coach, but also to join a club like Newcastle feels like a really good opportunity to influence and impact the programme to develop the young players here, push them into the first team, aid them in their football careers and develop them as people as well, which is really important to me.
"With the young players here — like the Longstaffs and Tom Allan, who has made his debut this year — I think the pathway is opening. It’s about aiding the development of players and adding the quality to help them force that pathway open by being the best they can be.
"The staff here have been doing a good job, so it’s up to me to come and enhance the programme, try and add to it wherever I can and continue the good work that is evidently already being done.”
Head of coaching Ben Dawson added: "We’re delighted to get Chris. It’s been a rigorous recruitment process and he’s done really well throughout each of the stages.
"We wanted somebody to come in and lead the multi-disciplinary team of staff and the group of players, at what is a critical age.
"We’re trying to help the players make that step of breaking through into a first team environment, and Chris has got good experience of that both as a player and as a coach.
"He spent a lot of time at Ipswich and has had opportunities to develop working across the age groups, most recently as joint manager of the U23s, but he’s also had that experience with the first team as well. He’s a good fit for us.”
Hogg initially joined Town as a young player when George Burley signed him from York City’s youth system in 2001 for compensation of £150,000, having won England caps at U15 and U16 levels.
Hogg, who is married to his former boss Burley’s daughter, Lisa, went on to play for the Young Lions’ U18s and U19s during his time at Town, although he never made a senior appearance for the Blues.
Ex-Town skipper and coach Tony Mowbray took him to Hibernian in 2005 and Hogg spent six years with the Edinburgh club, including a spell as captain.