​It is hard to remember a signing that has caused more of a stir at Grace Road in the past decade.

But the sealing of a three-year deal with Matthew Hoggard really seems to have caught the imagination of County followers.

Rightly so. Hoggard’s international days may be behind him and Yorkshire may have decided to look elsewhere for a spearhead, but the 32-year-old remains a high-class operator with plenty of good days still ahead of him.

Little wonder, then, that the feedback David Smith and Tim Boon have received since Hoggard’s signing has been overwhelmingly positive.

In one stroke, the future looks a good deal brighter than it did at the end of September, when County finished at the bottom of Division Two.

Hoggard must see signs of promise in the ranks at Grace Road, too. As a successful, respected player he hasn’t come to Leicestershire simply to go through the motions, he is here to make a difference and help push County back towards Division One.

The Foxes have all the bits and pieces from which to construct a good side. What has been lacking has been the catalyst to spark that into life. A hungry Hoggard may just be the man to provide that.

It is easy to forget that Brad Hodge spent only two seasons with Leicestershire. Yet, in that short space of time, he rose to almost legendary status among supporters.

That was due, to a large extent, to the advent of Twenty20 cricket, which the Victorian embraced from game one (an unbeaten triple century at Trent Bridge helped, too, it should be said!)

Hodge’s 20-over heroics culminated in him lifting the trophy at Edgbaston in 2004. It is fascinating, then, that his name is among those the Foxes are considering for the second overseas berth in next year’s revised T20 competition.

Whether that comes to fruition and Hodge joins forces with State colleague Andrew McDonald, remains to be seen.

But alongside the signing of Hoggard, it is another indicator of the club’s determination to re-emerge as genuine challengers for silverware.