Malta goalkeeper Andrew Hogg is eager to consolidate his burgeoning reputation in Cyprus next season after a positive campaign with Enosis Neon Paralimni.

During his successful stint with Valletta, Hogg established himself as one of the leading goalkeepers in Maltese football but he was something of an unknown pro-position when he moved to Enosis last summer.

After raising his profile with a series of solid performances for Enosis, Hogg regards his first season in Cyprus as a success.

“Of course, I’m very satisfied with the way things went,” Hogg told Times of Malta. “I’m happy because everything went better than I had imagined.

“My plan was basically to prove myself in the Cypriot league. It’s not easy for a Maltese player coming from a Maltese team to make it in Cyprus because the truth is they don’t regard our football very highly.

“But I took the plunge and tried my best to make a name for myself. I think I’ve reached my objective as I became one of the most respected goalkeepers in Cypriot football.”

Hogg had been expected to stay with Enosis next season after signing a two-year deal last summer but the 28-year-old now has high hopes of joining a more attractive club after terminating his contract with Enosis who finished eighth in the 14-team first division championship.

“I came to the conclusion that it’d be better for me if I terminated the contract,” Hogg said.

Invited to elaborate on why he had decided to part ways with Enosis, Hogg said: “Basically, the club owed me a certain amount of money. I spoke to my manager and we agreed that it’d be more beneficial for us if I became a free agent. I took a calculated risk.”

The availability of Hogg is likely to put some Maltese clubs on the alert but the former Pietà Hotspurs goalkeeper is not eyeing a return to local football.

“I’m currently assessing my options but I’m not looking at offers from Maltese clubs,” Hogg said. “The probability is that I will return to Cyprus.”

Although Hogg was reluctant to name his potential suitors, he did reveal that in January two of the biggest clubs in Cyprus were keen to get his signature.

“After six months in Cyprus, Omonia and Anorthosis wanted to sign me during the January transfer window,” Hogg said.

“We’re looking at these possibilities.”

Having been Malta’s first-choice goalkeeper for much of the last two years, Hogg was gutted after losing his place in the team for the much-anticipated World Cup home qualifier against Italy in March.

There were reports that Hogg was so disappointed at his exclusion that he was considering quitting the national team but he insisted yesterday that he was still available to play for Malta.

“I was very disappointed,” Hogg said of his omission for the qualifier against Italy who won 2-0.

“I had played all the matches under Pietro Ghedin but I was left out of the biggest game of all.

“This came about after we lost 6-0 to Bulgaria but the whole team played badly that day and the weather conditions were atrocious.

“Nevertheless, that belongs to the past now. I’ve resumed train-ing with the national team.”