Darren Hughes (English footballer)

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Darren Hughes
Personal information
Full name Darren John Hughes [1]
Date of birth (1965-10-06) 6 October 1965 (age 58) [1]
Place of birth Prescot, England [1]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [2]
Position(s) Left-back; midfielder
Youth career
1979–1983 Everton
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1983–1985 Everton 3 (0)
1985–1986 Shrewsbury Town 37 (1)
1986–1987 Brighton & Hove Albion 26 (2)
1987–1994 Port Vale 184 (4)
1995 Northampton Town 21 (0)
1995–1997 Exeter City 62 (1)
1997–1998 Morecambe
1998–???? Newcastle Town
Total333(8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Darren John Hughes (born 6 October 1965) is an English former footballer. A left-back noted for his pace, he made 388 league and cup appearances for six clubs over a fourteen-year career in the English Football League.

Contents

Starting his senior career at Everton in 1983, he was unable to make the grade at the First Division champions despite helping the youth team to lift the FA Youth Cup, and so was allowed to leave for Shrewsbury Town in June 1985. After one season with the "Shrews", he signed with Brighton & Hove Albion for a £35,000 fee in September 1986. In September 1987, he signed with Port Vale, where he spent seven years and made 184 league appearances. He helped the "Valiants" to win promotion out of the Third Division in 1989. He then spent January to November 1995 at Northampton Town, before transferring to Exeter City. After two seasons at Exeter, he moved into non-League football with Morecambe and Newcastle Town.

Career

Everton

Hughes started his career at Everton, having first been scouted at the age of 11 and signed on schoolboy terms at age 14. [3] He played in the FA Youth Cup final defeat to Norwich City in 1983, and the victory over Stoke City in the following year's final – he scored the winning goal against Stoke from well outside the penalty area. [4] He signed his first professional contract in October 1983. [5] As John Bailey's understudy, he made his first-team debut on 27 December 1983, in a 3–0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. [6] Hughes later developed a hernia and did not play again for six months. [3] He played in the final two First Division games of the title-winning 1984–85 season: a 4–1 loss to Coventry City at Highfield Road and a 2–0 defeat to Luton Town at Kenilworth Road. Manager Howard Kendall allowed him to join Shrewsbury Town on a free transfer in June 1985. [7]

Shrewsbury Town

He helped Chic Bates's "Shrews" to post a 17th-place finish in the Second Division in the 1985–86 season. Bates played him as a forward on the last day of the campaign, and Hughes scored from a free kick in a victory that relegated Middlesbrough. [3]

Brighton & Hove Albion

Hughes left Gay Meadow on a £30,000 transfer to league rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in September 1986, two weeks after playing a game between the two clubs. [8] He said he had been happy at Shrewsbury. Still, he felt that Brighton were a bigger club. [8] He made his debut at the Goldstone Ground in a 3–0 defeat to Birmingham City in the Full Members' Cup on 1 October, and made his league debut for the club in a 1–0 home win over Stoke City three days later. [8] However, the midfielder could not prevent the "Seagulls" from suffering relegation in last place in the 1986–87 season. Manager Alan Mullery was sacked in January, and Hughes retained his first-team place under the new boss Barry Lloyd, although results did not improve. [8] Lloyd wanted to reduce his wages from £400 to £80-a-week and so Hughes agreed to leave the club. [3]

Port Vale

Hughes joined John Rudge's Port Vale on loan in September 1987 before signing permanently for a £5,000 fee later that month. [1] He claimed a goal against former employers Brighton in a 2–0 win at Vale Park on 28 September, and went on to make 53 appearances for the "Valiants" in the 1987–88 campaign. [1] He was converted from central midfield to become the club's regular left-back. [9] He played 56 games in the 1988–89 season, including both legs of the Third Division play-off final victory over Bristol Rovers. [1] He then played 46 matches in the 1989–90 season, as Vale settled into the Second Division. [1] Teammate and club legend Phil Sproson named him as the club's best left-back of the 1980s. [10] However, he could only play 18 games in the 1990–91 season, as he suffered a hernia injury and underwent two operations to fix it; during his absence Nigerian loanee Reuben Agboola took his place. [1] Hughes returned to fitness by April 1991. [1] He made 49 appearances in the 1991–92 relegation season, and scored past Newcastle United in a 2–2 draw at St James' Park. [1]

Hughes was diagnosed with a ruptured thigh muscle in July 1992 and again battled through two surgical procedures to correct it during the 1992–93 season; this caused him to miss the play-off final and Football League Trophy final. [1] Medical scans later revealed a serious knee problem, and he blamed medical negligence on the part of the club for failing to treat the injury properly, saying that his knee had been injected with cortisone in a failed attempt to try and mask the problem and force through a transfer to Oldham Athletic. [11] Still injured at the start of the 1993–94 season, he found, to his dismay, that the club released him in February 1994. [1] He took the club to an industrial tribunal citing unfair dismissal, the result of which was a six-week trial in August 1994 to prove his 'fitness and ability'. [1] He quit the club in November 1994 after being dissatisfied there and moved on to Northampton Town in January 1995. [1]

Later career

He helped Ian Atkins's "Cobblers" to a 17th-place finish in the Third Division in 1994–95, before he left Sixfields to switch to Exeter City in November 1995. [5] He made 62 Third Division appearances, as Peter Fox's "Grecians" struggled at the foot of the English Football League in 1995–96 and 1996–97. He then departed St James Park for Morecambe. [5] He played ten games as he helped Jim Harvey's "Shrimpers" to a fifth-place finish in the Conference National in 1997–98. He left the Globe Arena and later played for Newcastle Town in the North West Counties League. [5]

Style of play

Hughes was a pacey left-back, though injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential. [12] He spent his early career as a midfielder. [9] He was nicknamed Yosser Hughes, after the character of the same name from the television series Boys from the Blackstuff . [3]

Later life

After retiring as a player, Hughes worked as a financial advisor, as a roofer, started a painting company, and spent time living in Australia before finally returning to the UK to run a construction business. [11] [13]

Career statistics

Source: [14]

ClubSeasonDivisionLeagueFA CupOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Everton 1983–84 First Division 10000010
1984–85 First Division20000020
Total30000030
Shrewsbury Town 1985–86 Second Division 3111050371
1986–87 Second Division60003090
Total3711080461
Brighton & Hove Albion 1986–87 Second Division2622010292
Port Vale 1987–88 Third Division 4317030531
1988–89 Third Division4403090560
1989–90 Second Division3810305461
1990–91 Second Division1700010180
1991–92 Second Division4221060492
Total18441402402224
Northampton Town 1994–95 Third Division1300000130
1995–96 Third Division80001090
Total2100010220
Exeter City 1995–96 Third Division2601000270
1996–97 Third Division3611030401
Total6212030671
Career total33381903703888

Honours

Everton

Port Vale

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The 1957–58 season was Port Vale's 46th season of football in the English Football League and their first full season back in the Third Division South following their relegation from the Second Division. An unusual season, the regional split was to be abolished at the season's end, meaning the bottom two clubs of the Second Division and the clubs placed 2nd to 12th in the Third Division North and the Third Division South would be the founder members of the Third Division. It also meant that the bottom twelve clubs of the Third Division North and the Third Division South would be the founder members of the Fourth Division. In effect, the team's performance in this season could see them placed in either the second, third or fourth tier the following season. Finishing in fifteenth, what would have otherwise been a mid-table finish of little consequence saw them relegated to the Fourth Division.

The 1961–62 season was Port Vale's 50th season of football in the English Football League, and their third season in the Third Division. The season was most notable for the win over Sunderland in the FA Cup, which followed a goalless draw at Roker Park in which the Vale defence prevented Brian Clough from even having a shot. The club also hosted a friendly against the Czechoslovakia national football team and later took a tour of Poland. In the league, they failed to gain promotion and settled for mid-table obscurity.

The 1971–72 season was Port Vale's 60th season of football in the Football League, and their second-successive season back in the Third Division. Roy Sproson's 22-year career at the club came to an end, in what was an otherwise unremarkable campaign.

The 1975–76 season was Port Vale's 64th season of football in the Football League, and their sixth-successive season in the Third Division. Manager Roy Sproson brought Mick Cullerton back to Vale Park. Cullerton was to become the top-scorer for the season with 21 goals. However, the ongoing success of rivals Stoke City in winning the League Cup, playing in Europe, and competing at the top of the First Division caused Vale's support to suffer. The loyal support of a few thousand fans was not enough to balance the books, and so Brian Horton was controversially sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £30,000.

The 1981–82 season was Port Vale's 70th season of football in the English Football League, and their fourth-successive season in the Fourth Division. John McGrath led his team to a seventh-place finish, a big improvement on the previous two seasons. Top-scorer Ernie Moss and midfielder Mark Chamberlain proved to be the stars of the season. The season was notable for Vale Park's lowest-ever Football League attendance.

The 1983–84 season was Port Vale's 72nd season of football in the English Football League, and first back in the Third Division following their promotion from the Fourth Division. The club suffered a horrendous start, and John McGrath lost his job before Christmas; he was replaced by his assistant John Rudge. Rudge instigated an immense turnaround in results, but Vale still ended up relegated, six points shy of safety. Ireland international Eamonn O'Keefe was top-scorer and Player of the Year, and young Mark Bright showed his potential, though left at the end of the season.

The 1987–88 season was Port Vale's 76th season of football in the English Football League, and second-successive season in the Third Division. John Rudge's side started the season well, but then suffered following the sale of star striker Andy Jones. Just as Rudge seemed to be struggling, the Vale earned a memorable 2–1 victory over top-flight Tottenham Hotspur at Vale Park in the FA Cup Fourth Round. They exited the competition at the next stage at the hands of Watford, following a replay. Vale's league form also improved, as they finished in eleventh place, helped by midfielders Ray Walker and Robbie Earle, defenders Phil Sproson and Bob Hazell, and goalkeeper Mark Grew. Darren Beckford and David Riley were joint-top-scorers with ten goals each. Vale exited the League Cup and the Associate Members' Cup at the first round.

The 1939–40 season was Port Vale's 34th season of football in the Football League, and second-successive season in the Third Division South. All competitive football was suspended upon the breakout of war in Europe, just two games into the regular season. These two games were expunged from official records, and the Football League does not recognise the regional war leagues which replaced them and thus not included in official records. Port Vale finished eighth in the West League of the regional wartime league.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 145. ISBN   0-9529152-0-0.
  2. Darren Hughes at Soccerbase OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Darren Hughes Interview Part 1". The Vale Park Beano. 127.
  4. "Youth Cup final belters, trendy referees and unpunished punches". The Sentinel . 29 November 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "The Grecian Archive – Hughes, Darren". grecianarchive.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  6. "Darren Hughes | evertonfpf.org". evertonfpf.org. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  7. "Hughes, Darren". grecianarchive.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Elite career eluded Darren Hughes after cup-winning start with Everton". In parallel lines. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  9. 1 2 Fielding, Rob (19 July 2020). "Five of the best: players converted to other positions by John Rudge". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  10. Kent, Jeff (December 1991). Port Vale Tales: A Collection of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories. Witan Books. p. 298. ISBN   0-9508981-6-3.
  11. 1 2 "Darren Hughes Interview Part 2". The Vale Park Beano. 128.
  12. Earle, Robbie (12 January 2012). "Here's my promotion-winning Vale team". The Sentinel . Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  13. "Where Are They Now? | Footballers | Darren Hughes". where-are-they-now.co.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  14. Darren Hughes at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  15. Kent, Jeff (1989). Port Vale Promotion Chronicle 1988-1989: Back to Where We Once Belonged!. Witan Books. ISBN   0-9508981-3-9.