Hoskins was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, where his career began at local club Notts County's School of Excellence, before he joined Rotherham United's youth system in South Yorkshire.
[2] Hoskins was heralded as a talent when, at just 17, he came into the first team fold at Rotherham and made an impact, scoring both goals in a 2–1 win at Wigan Athletic in December 2003.
Knill offered the youngster an initial one-year deal, stating that, should Hoskins prove himself in the first team, he would be rewarded with a new contract before Christmas.
[4] Hoskins had an excellent 2006–07 pre-season alongside his new strike partner Delroy Facey, notably scoring twice against Scottish Cup finalists Gretna.
[3][6] After turning down a contract extension, Hoskins signed for Premier League club Watford along with teammate Lee Williamson on 5 January 2007 for a combined fee of £1.2 million.
On 24 January 2009, Hoskins scored the third goal in the sixty-seventh minute which led to the 4–3 victory against Crystal Palace in the third round of the FA Cup.
He made his debut in a 2–0 win over Millwall at the City Ground and impressed in his first two games in a Reds shirt, being credited for his liveliness and willingness to work hard.
He endured a frustrating spell on the sidelines with a troublesome back injury, and with Brett Ormerod joining from Preston North End, Hoskins returned to Watford.
[14] Hoskins was forced to cut his loan spell short with Sheffield United and return to Brighton just before the end of the season due a hernia problem.