Chester
Early career
Hughes played for Wirral Schoolboys and West Kirby Wasps before joining Chester in 2012, at the age of 15. [3] [4] He joined the Chester academy following a trial. [4] After an impressive pre-season with the first team in 2015, manager Jon McCarthy praised him for his progress. [5]
2015–16 season: Breakthrough
He signed his first professional contract in July. [6] He made his senior debut on 12 September in a 2–0 defeat to Tranmere Rovers. [7] In November, he was sent on a one-month loan to Division One North side Witton Albion. [8] He returned to Chester following 5 appearances. [9] On 16 February 2016, he made his first start for Chester in a 3–0 win over Altrincham. [10] He signed a contract extension in March. [11] He scored his first league goals for Chester on 8 March 2016, scoring a brace in an 8–2 win over Aldershot Town. [12] However, a concussion meant that he missed the last three games of the season. [10] He finished his debut season with 19 appearances and 2 goals, including a run of 12 starts. [10] [13]
2016–17 season: Establishment in first team
"It’s a massive moment for me, I didn’t expect it one little bit to be honest. The gaffer told me on Thursday after training and said he wanted me to be captain. I am very proud and privileged to be given the opportunity, it’s a massive, massive moment to lead the team out so it was really good."
Hughes on captaining Chester. [14] Hughes came on as a substitute on the opening fixture on 6 August 2016, in a 3–0 defeat to Gateshead. [15] He scored his first goal of the season on 17 September 2016, in a 1–0 win over Braintree Town. [16] Jon McCarthy praised Hughes for his performance after the match. [17] Hughes formed a defensive partnership with Ryan Astles, and had a run of seven clean sheets in a row. [10] An offer from Barnsley was rejected in the January transfer window, which Hughes found "frustrating". [18] On 3 March 2017, he captained Chester in a 3–2 defeat against Tranmere, making him the youngest captain in Chester's history at age 19. [14] [19] He finished the season with 39 appearances and 3 goals. [20] He also won the CFU Player of the Season. [21] He was later inducted in Chester's team of the decade, after making 64 appearances with 8 goals in total with Chester. [22]
Leicester City
As his contract was expiring in the summer, Chester offered Hughes a new contract. He looked to "explore" his options however, with interest from Championship clubs. [23] He eventually chose Premier League club Leicester City in July 2017, signing a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee in compensation—although it was reported to be around £130,000 including add-ons. [24] [25] The fee was also the biggest in Chester's history after reformation. [26] Leicester signed Hughes to play in their development squad. [27] After suffering an injury in pre-season, he quickly became a regular for the development squad. [28] He had a successful first season with Leicester, captaining the side and also being the top-scorer despite playing centre-back. [29] He also made the bench on two occasions for the first-team, although was an unused substitute. [29] In the summer of 2018, he suffered a stress fracture in his lower back. [30] He was predicted to be out for three-and-a-half months, until October. [31] However, he wouldn't return to action until February 2019, playing in a 1–0 defeat to Derby County. [32]
Loan to Salford
Hughes joined newly promoted League Two side Salford City on a season-long loan in September 2019. [33] He made his debut on 7 September in a 2–2 draw to Morecambe. [34] He was recalled by Leicester in January following 10 appearances in all competitions for Salford. [34] [35]
First loan to Burton Albion
He extended his contract with Leicester in the summer of 2020. [36] On 9 October 2020, Hughes was loaned to EFL League One club Burton Albion until January 2021. [37] He made his full debut the following day in a 2–0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle. [38] Hughes faced a red card after picking up two yellow cards in a 2–0 defeat to Hull City on 14 November. [39] He scored his first goal for Burton in a 4–2 win against Charlton Athletic on 24 November. [40] He also formed a partnership with fellow defender Michael Bostwick. [41] On 19 December, Hughes was substituted off early in a 3–1 defeat against Doncaster Rovers. [42] After a scan, it was revealed that Hughes had suffered a long-term knee injury, and would return to Leicester for the remainder of the season for treatment. [43] Hughes had made 14 appearances and scored twice before his loan was cut short. [44]
Second loan to Burton Albion
On 31 August 2021, it was announced that Hughes had returned to Burton on loan. [45] However, he was still not ready to play, but was in the final stage of rehab. [46] He started his first match for Burton in his second loan spell on 15 January 2022, in a 3–1 win over Gillingham in place of Conor Shaughnessy. [47] [48] It was also his first appearance in over a year, and was hailed by manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink for settling in quickly. [48]
Burton Albion
After making four appearances in his loan, Hughes signed permanently for Burton on a two-and-a-half-year deal on 31 January 2022. [49] He made 21 appearances with 1 goal for Burton in the 2021–22 season, and also had a good disciplinary record with only one yellow card. [50]
2022–23 season
Hughes' first appearance of the 2022–23 season came in the opening match on 6 August 2022, which ended in a 4–0 defeat against Bristol Rovers. [51] He scored his first goal of the season on 25 October in a 2–1 loss against Bolton Wanderers. [52] On 26 December, he scored again in a 3–0 win over Lincoln City. [53] However, although he had played the entire match, it was later revealed that he had sustained an ankle injury, and could be out for three months. [54] He made his return on 28 January 2023, starting in a 2–0 victory over Oxford United. [55] At the end of the season, Hughes had scored 3 times and made 49 appearances, the most he had ever made in a season. [56] He was also named as Burton's Player of the Year, with a club record 40% of the votes. [57]
2023–24 season
Hughes started the season opener on 5 August 2023, in a 2–0 defeat to Blackpool. [58] He sustained a calf injury in October, and made his return on 28 November in a 2–0 loss against Portsmouth. [59] [60] On 10 January 2024, in a 2–1 defeat against Blackpool in the EFL Trophy, Hughes picked up a knock and was substituted off in the first half. [61] He wouldn't play again until 23 March, coming on as a substitute for Aristote Nsiala in a 1–0 defeat against Port Vale. [62] It was also his first appearance under new manager Martin Paterson. [63] The absence of John Brayford saw Hughes captaining the team towards the end of the season. [64] Hughes finished the season with 32 appearances. [65] Since his contract was expiring in the summer, Burton offered him a new contract. [66] However, he wanted "a fresh start, a new challenge" and chose to depart following 117 appearances and 6 goals for Burton. [67] [68]
Stockport County
On 1 July 2024, it was announced that Hughes had signed for League One club Stockport County on a free transfer, signing a three-year deal. [69] He made his debut in the season opener on 10 August against Cambridge United, which finished in a 2–0 win. [70] He captained Stockport in a 6–1 defeat against Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Cup on 13 August. [71] However, he came off in the first half after taking a knock. [71] He made his return in September against the Everton U21 in the EFL Trophy, but would not play for another month until starting in a 1–1 draw against Northampton Town in October. [72] By January 2025, Hughes had only made three league starts in eight appearances, and was in search of more gametime. [73]
Loan to Peterborough United
On 16 January 2025, Hughes joined Peterborough United on a loan until the end of the 2024–25 season. [74] His debut came on 18 January, starting in a 0–0 draw against Leyton Orient and helping Peterborough to their first league clean sheet of the season. [75] Team-mate Carl Johnston hailed Hughes on his debut, stating, "Big Sam was a leader out there and a big voice, he was fantastic." [76] Hughes would also captain the side, despite being a loan player. [77] He won the January Player of the Month for Peterborough. [78] He scored his first goal for Peterborough on 22 March in a 3–0 win over Charlton Athletic. [79] Hughes was cup-tied as Peterborough won the 2024–25 EFL Trophy by beating Birmingham City 2–0 in the final on 13 April. [80] [81]
