Lee Hughes
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Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976) is an English former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
. A strong striker with excellent finishing abilities, Hughes represented the England semi-professional team once in 1996. After being released as a
youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
footballer, Hughes worked as a roofer alongside his father. He started his career in the
Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
with
Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team competes in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. Formed in ...
before winning a £380,000 move to boyhood club
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
in August 1997. He finished as the club's top-scorer for four seasons running, earning a place on the
PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
in 1998–99 after finishing as the highest scorer in the top four divisions of English football. He was sold to
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
for £5 million in August 2001 before returning to West Brom for half of that figure twelve months later. He failed to impress in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
as Albion suffered
relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
but helped the club to make an immediate return to the top flight as runners-up in the
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...
in 2003–04. In August 2004, he was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for
causing death by dangerous driving Causing death by dangerous driving is a statutory offence in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as Hong Kong. It is an aggravated form of dangerous driving. In the UK, it was created by section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 198 ...
following a fatal crash on 23 November 2003. Following his release from prison in 2007, he returned to the professional game with
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
of
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
. He signed for
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
in July 2009 and was named on the PFA Team of the Year after scoring 30 league goals as the club won the League Two title in 2009–10. He left Notts County to sign for
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
in January 2013 and helped the club to secure
promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
out of League Two in 2012–13. In January 2014, he signed for Forest Green Rovers on an 18-month deal. In January 2015, he returned to Kidderminster Harriers and moved on to
Ilkeston Ilkeston ( ) is a town located in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England, with a population of 40,953 at the 2021 census. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/textiles, have now all but disappeared. Part of t ...
and then
Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English Association football, football club based in Worcester, England, Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Southern Football League Premier Division Central, the seventh tier of English football. ...
in the summer. He became a prolific goalscorer into his 40s and signed with AFC Telford United in February 2017. He began his management career as joint-
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
of
Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English Association football, football club based in Worcester, England, Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Southern Football League Premier Division Central, the seventh tier of English football. ...
, alongside John Snape, in May 2017. In March 2018, he joined
Halesowen Town Halesowen Town Football Club is a football club based in Halesowen, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Grove Recreation Ground. History The club was believed to have been established around 1873, but rec ...
as a player, where he remained until moving on to Mickleover Sports in August 2019. He later played for Grantham Town,
Nuneaton Borough Nuneaton Town Football Club is an English football club that was based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. It withdrew from Southern League Premier Division Central on 18 January 2024 due to financial problems and faces liquidation. In 1889, Nuneaton S ...
, Cradley Town and Stourport Swifts.


Club career


Kidderminster Harriers

Hughes spent four years at
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
as a schoolboy from ages 11 to 15, though he was not offered a
youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
. He then had unsuccessful trials at numerous clubs, though came close to being offered a contract by
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...
. He instead started his career playing semi-professionally for
Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
club
Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team competes in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. Formed in ...
, whilst holding down a part-time job as a
roofer A roofer, roof mechanic, or roofing contractor is a tradesman who specializes in roof construction. Roofers replace, repair, and install the roofs of buildings, using a variety of materials, including shingles, single-ply, bitumen, and met ...
. Although Hughes scored 34 goals in the 1996–97 season, Kidderminster failed to gain
promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
to the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
after finishing five points behind champions
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and from 1891 played home games at Moss Rose. It competed in the short ...
.Glenda Rollin (ed.), Jack Rollin (exec. ed.), ''Rothmans Football Yearbook 1997–98''. Headline, 1997. At this point in his career Hughes was regarded as one of England's finest semi-professionals and was called up to the
England national football C team The England national football C team (previously known as the England National Game XI and the England Semi-Pro national team) are the football teams that represent England at non-League level. Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it f ...
. In total, Hughes scored 70 goals in 139 games for Kidderminster in all competitions. He also played for amateur touring side
Middlesex Wanderers Middlesex Wanderers A.F.C. is an English touring amateur football team. History When the Richmond Old Boys team (from the British School in Richmond, Surrey, failed financially after undertaking a tour of France, two members, brothers Bob ...
during their tour of
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
whilst he was aged 19.


West Bromwich Albion

Hughes was sold to West Bromwich Albion for an initial £200,000 – incentives later took the final sum up to £380,000 – in August 1997. He said "It was a dream to join the team I have supported all my life". The ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' printed that "Hughes has red hair, tattoos of a
Tasmanian devil The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii''; palawa kani: ''purinina'') is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now con ...
and a British
bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is a stocky, muscular dog of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a rel ...
on his forearms, dynamite in his boots and Albion in his blood." Fans affectionately nicknamed him the "Ginger Ninja". He made his debut at
The Hawthorns The Hawthorns is an All-seater stadium, all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F.C. ...
as a substitute in a 2–1 win over
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
on 9 August 1997. Seven days later he scored two goals from the bench in a 3–2 win over
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
at
Gresty Road Gresty Road or the Alexandra Stadium, currently known as the Mornflake Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Crewe, Cheshire, England. The home ground of Crewe Alexandra, it has an all-seated capacity of 10,153. History C ...
. Though signed by
Ray Harford Raymond Thomas Harford (1 June 1945 – 9 August 2003) was an English footballer, better known for his successes as a coach and manager than as a player. He is considered to have been one of the top coaches of his generation. During his playi ...
, he came to the fore under new boss Denis Smith. Smith handed Hughes his first start on 28 December, in a 1–1 home draw with
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
. He finished his debut season as the club's top-scorer with 14 goals in 41 appearances and was rewarded with a new four-year contract. He started the 1998–99 season in fine form, and claimed his first ever
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
in a 3–0 win over
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
at
Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...
on 22 August. Despite having recently signed a long-term contract, his form and goal record led to constant rumours of a big money move to a host of
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
clubs. West Brom eventually issued a "hands-off" warning to other clubs. He claimed further hat-tricks against
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
and
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
, and finished the season with 32 goals in 45 games. This tally left him as the country's top-scorer. He was named on the
PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
for the First Division. He then submitted a written
transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies * ...
request, and his spokesman told the press that there have "been a number of things going on behind the scenes which have unsettled him recently". In particular, his £1,400 a week salary was compared with the £5,000 a week salary of under-performing teammate Fabian de Freitas. He remained at the club for the 1999–2000 season and scored 17 goals in 43 appearances. Albion struggled in the
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...
under new
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Brian Little Brian Little (born 25 November 1953) is an English football manager and former player. As a player, Little was a striker who spent his entire career for Aston Villa in a career that spanned from 1971 to 1980. He made 247 league appearances, ...
, though improved after
Gary Megson Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager. He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and ...
replaced Little as manager in March and avoided
relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
despite Hughes missing the final five matches of the season due to a knee injury. He was partnered with Jason Roberts for the 2000–01 season; the pair went on to score 40 goals between them to help secure the "Baggies" a play-off place. With 23 goals to his name, he again attracted interest from other clubs. He claimed two hat-tricks in seven days against Gillingham and
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
. Hughes converted a
penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...
in a 2–2 draw with
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
in the first leg of the play-off semi-final before a 3–0 defeat at the
Reebok Stadium The Toughsheet Community Stadium is a Association football, football stadium in Horwich near Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers Football Club, with an all-seated capacity of 28, ...
ended Albion's play-off hopes. He refused to sign a new contract in July 2001, and was placed on the transfer list.


Coventry City

Hughes was sold to
Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player who is currently Technical Director of Dundee. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Sc ...
's
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
for a club record transfer fee of £5,000,001 (the unusual figure was because any offer exceeding £5 million would trigger an escape clause in his West Brom contract) in August 2001. His wages at
Highfield Road Highfield Road was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City for 106 years. History It was built in 1899 in the Hillfields district, close to the city centre, and staged its final game on 30 ...
were reported to be £15,000 a week. Hughes scored 14 goals in 40 games, including a hat-trick in a 6–1 win at
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
, and finished the 2001–02 season as the club's top-scorer. Coventry rejected a
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
offer from
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
in March 2002, and ended the season outside the
play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
.


Return to West Bromwich Albion

In August 2002, Hughes returned to
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
for a club record £2.5 million – half the fee Albion had received for him a year earlier – and signed a four-year deal with the club. Despite being a regular in the first-team, Hughes failed to score a single Premier League goal in the 2002–03 season and Albion were relegated in 19th place with just six wins and 26 points from 38 matches. Hughes was criticised by several teammates following the club's 1–0 defeat by Everton at
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
, though was publicly backed by manager
Gary Megson Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager. He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and ...
. He told the press that "I want to establish myself in the Premiership and any accusations of me not pulling my weight should be made to my face." He put his poor form down to him missing pre-season training with injury problems. He rediscovered his form back in the First Division, scoring 12 goals in 36 games in 2003–04 as West Brom secured promotion with a second-place finish. His contract at West Bromwich Albion was immediately terminated in August 2004, following his conviction for causing death by dangerous driving. He spent the next three years in prison, serving half his six-year sentence.


Oldham Athletic

Upon his release from prison on 20 August 2007, Hughes signed a two-year contract with
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
club
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
; the club asked supporters "not to pass moral judgement". His reported salary of £1,800-a-week at
Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bound ...
was less than a tenth of what he earned at the peak of his career with West Bromwich Albion. Hughes made his debut for Oldham in a 4–1 defeat by
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...
at Victoria Park on 1 September 2007. He failed to find the net in his first seven games, and underwent an operation to correct a
hernia A hernia (: hernias or herniae, from Latin, meaning 'rupture') is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. The term is also used for the normal Devel ...
problem. He recovered quickly from the procedure and registered his first two goals for the Latics in a 3–0 win over
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
at
Dean Court Dean Court, currently known as Vitality Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England, and is the home ground of AFC Bournemouth. The stadium has a capacity of 11,307. History I ...
on 25 November, before being named in the "League One Team of the Week". He scored his first hat-trick for the club against
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
in a 3–2 victory at
The Den The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in Bermondsey, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at , and a quarter-of-a-mile from the Old Den, whic ...
on 15 December, and again made the "League One Team of the Week". He picked up a
groin In human anatomy, the groin, also known as the inguinal region or iliac region, is the junctional area between the torso and the thigh. The groin is at the front of the body on either side of the pubic tubercle, where the lower part of the abdom ...
injury in March 2008, and was sidelined for the rest of the season. Hughes had scored eight goals by the end of the 2007–08 season, making him the club's second-highest goalscorer behind Craig Davies. He opened his account for the 2008–09 season with a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...
on 23 August. Stating his future ambitions as playing
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
football with Oldham, he was offered a new deal at the club on 30 December 2008. He was linked with a move to
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
in January 2009, but stayed put after talks with manager John Sheridan, who insisted Hughes was "very happy" at Oldham. In March 2009, it was widely reported that Hughes had been involved in a drunken brawl with Sheridan where Hughes was reported to have had him "in a headlock". Sheridan later downplayed the incident as "jovial", saying, "people have made things up". Sheridan was sacked, but insisted that the two incidents were not related, as "it was results that cost me the job". On 26 March 2009, Hughes joined Championship club
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...
at
Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a association football, football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool Football Club since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two be ...
on 4 April. His first goal for the club came on 18 April against
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...
at the Valley, when after coming on as an 89th-minute substitute, and with Blackpool 2–1 down, he scored four minutes later to make the score 2–2. Hughes ended the campaign as Oldham's highest scorer with 18 goals in 40 appearances. However, he was one of several players released by the club's new manager
Dave Penney David Mark Penney (born 17 August 1964) is an English football manager and former player. Born in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, Penney entered professional football at the relatively late age of 21. He had been working as a bricklayer an ...
in May 2009, and returned to
Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team competes in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. Formed in ...
for training to keep up his fitness levels whilst searching for a new club.


Notts County

Hughes signed for League Two team
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
on a two-year contract on 22 July 2009, on the same day that
Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; 5 February 1948 – 26 August 2024) was a Swedish association football, football player and Coach (sport), manager. After a playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management ...
arrived at the club as
director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...
. He scored a hat-trick on his debut in a 5–0 victory over
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
on the opening day of the season. He then got his second hat-trick against
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
in a 5–2 home win on 12 September. He claimed his third hat-trick of the campaign on 28 December during a 4–1 win over
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...
at the
Pirelli Stadium Pirelli Stadium is an association football stadium on Princess Way in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was built in 2005 and is the current home of Burton Albion FC, replacing the club's old Eton Park home, also on Princess Way, ...
. However, the club endured a turbulent time, with manager
Ian McParland Ian John McParland (born 4 October 1961) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. He played professionally as a striker with a number of teams and he is most known for his eight-year spell with Notts County, a club he lat ...
sacked and replaced by
Hans Backe Hans Roland "Hasse" Backe (; born 14 February 1952) is a Swedish football manager and former player who most recently led Finland's national team. Prior to this he managed the New York Red Bulls. He has coached clubs in Sweden, Norway, Greece ...
, who himself resigned after
Qadbak Investments Qadbak Investments Ltd was a British Virgin Islands registeredSonntagsZeitung
2009-09-27
proved unable to fund Backe's wages. New owner
Ray Trew Raymond Arthur Trew (born December 1954) is a businessman and former football club chairman from Lincolnshire. He is a former board member of Lincoln City F.C., Notts County F.C., and Notts County Ladies F.C. Trew achieved his wealth through re ...
appointed
Steve Cotterill Stephen John Cotterill (born 20 July 1964) is an English coach and former player who is currently the manager of National League side Forest Green Rovers. Cotterill, a striker, had a nine-year career as a footballer playing for Burton Albio ...
as manager. County entered April ten points behind league leaders
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
, though Hughes remained confident they could reduce the deficit and win the league. On 17 April, Hughes scored two goals in a 4–1 victory over
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...
as County won promotion to
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
. He was named as League Two's Player of the Month in April. On 1 May, Hughes added another two goals in County's final home game of the season, making him the first Notts player to score 30 league goals since
Tommy Lawton Thomas Lawton (6 October 1919 – 6 November 1996) was an English football player and manager. Born in Farnworth and raised in Bolton, he played amateur football at Rossendale United, before he turned professional at Burnley on his 17t ...
in the 1949–50 season. He finished as the division's top-scorer in 2009–10 with 30 league goals in 39 games, and was named on the
PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
alongside teammates
Kasper Schmeichel Kasper Peter Schmeichel (born 5 November 1986) is a Danish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Celtic F.C., Celtic and the Denmark national footb ...
and Ben Davies. County won the league by a ten-point margin. In July 2010, Hughes signed a one-year extension to his contract that would see him at
Meadow Lane Meadow Lane is a football (soccer), football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County F.C., Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 201 ...
until the summer of 2012. On 23 September 2010, Hughes revealed a 'Boing, Boing' t-shirt in a League Cup tie with
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
at Molineux – the slogan of Wolves' rivals West Bromwich Albion – and was quizzed by police after angry Wolves fans retaliated to the message by attacking Notts County supporters' coaches. He was reported to be "angry" at being named as a substitute in a league game against
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...
on 11 December, though boss
Paul Ince Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (; born 21 October 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of Reading. A midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1986 to 2007, starting his career with West ...
stated that "Hughesy is 34 and cannot play week in week out. But he's never come and said, 'I should be starting'. He's been different class." On 8 January 2011, he was on the scoresheet as County beat
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
side
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
2–1 in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
. Two weeks later he was confirmed to be a target of
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
. He remained with the "Magpies", and ended the
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season as the club's top-scorer with 16 goals in 37 appearances. The club again went through a succession of managers –
Craig Short Craig Jonathan Short (born 25 June 1968) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He was most recently caretaker manager of Oxford United. Playing career Short was born in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England a ...
, Paul Ince and then
Martin Allen Martin James Allen (born 14 August 1965) is an English football manager and former player. He played more than 100 games as a midfielder for both Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United before finishing his playing career with Portsmouth and ...
 – and ended the season three points above the relegation zone. On 8 September 2011, he played against Italian club
Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
in the inaugural game of the
Juventus Stadium Juventus Stadium (), known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz Stadium since July 2017, sometimes simply known in Italy as the Stadium (), is an all-seater football stadium in the Vallette borough of Turin, Italy, and the home of Juventus ...
, and scored County's goal in a 1–1 draw; after the game he had a signed shirt from
Andrea Pirlo Andrea Pirlo (; born 19 May 1979) is an Italian association football, football manager (association football), manager and former professional player. Considered one of the greatest Midfielder (association football)#Deep-lying playmaker, mi ...
. The next month he accepted a pay cut to sign a new 18-month contract, and was quoted as saying he never planned to leave the club as "the fans have taken me in and I love it here". He ended the 2011–12 campaign on 11 goals in 44 games. In summer 2012, the club rejected offers for Hughes from
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...
and former club
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
. At the beginning of the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season, new manager
Keith Curle Keith Curle (born 14 November 1963) is an English football manager and former professional player, who was most recently the manager of National League side Hartlepool United. He played as a centre back from 1981 to 2005, notably in the Prem ...
stated that "we know he is of an age where he won't be playing for 46 games, so he needs to be managed". New signing
Yoann Arquin Yoann Axel Cyriac Arquin (born 15 April 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for Serie D club Enna. Born in metropolitan France, he represented the Martinique national team. Club career France Arquin started his ca ...
became the county's first choice striker, and Hughes announced his intention to leave the club to find first-team football. He was reported to have joined
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
on loan, with a view to a permanent move, on 22 November 2012; though the deal had yet to be ratified by the
English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
. However, the next day it was revealed that the loan move would not go through as the relevant paperwork had not been sent in on time. Three weeks later Hughes provided the club with a sick note, saying that he was unavailable until January. His contract was terminated by mutual consent on 7 January 2013.


Port Vale

Hughes joined
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
the day after securing his exit from Notts County, as the BBC reported that "promotion-chasing boss
Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football Manager (association football), manager. As a player, he was a Full-back (football), full back, and made a total of 43 ...
wants to bring him in to add impetus to a Vale attack who have occasionally misfired this term". He signed a contract to keep him at
Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...
until the end of the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season, at which point his contract would be extended by 12 months if the "Valiants" were promoted. However, Hughes later revealed that Adams was against the transfer but had been overruled by chairman
Norman Smurthwaite Norman Smurthwaite (born 8 August 1960) is an English businessman and former football club chairman. He qualified as an engineer and built a business career and property portfolio before retiring at the age of 50. He took over as chairman of Por ...
. He marked his debut against the "Gills" with the winning goal that sent Vale to the top of the table. Being partnered with the country's leading goalscorer
Tom Pope Thomas John Pope (born 27 August 1985) is an English semi-professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for club Kidsgrove Athletic where he holds the role of joint player-manager. A Crewe Alexandra Academy graduate, he turned profes ...
allowed Hughes space in front of goal vacated by opposition defenders attempting to double up on Pope. Hughes scored his first hat-trick for the "Valiants" in a 7–1 home victory over
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...
on 5 April, with two of his goals coming from the penalty spot as he took over from Jennison Myrie-Williams as the club's penalty taker. This performance won him a place on the League Two team of the week. Vale were promoted at the end of the season, with Hughes scoring ten goals in his 18 games, ensuring his contract was extended until summer 2014. He was not a regular starter in the 2013–14 season, especially as
Jordan Hugill Jordan Thomas Hugill (born 4 June 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Rotherham United. A relative latecomer to the professional game, he had spells with non-League sides Seaham Red Star, Consett, W ...
began to impress from the youth development squad. So he decided to leave the club in the January
transfer window In association football, a transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club, club can add players to their squad who were previously under contract with another club. Such a Transfer (association football), transfer is comp ...
.


Later career

On 3 January 2014, he joined
Conference Premier The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National Leagues and step 1 of the National Le ...
side
Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Formed in October 188 ...
on an 18-month contract. Manager
Adrian Pennock Adrian Barry Pennock (born 27 March 1971) is an English former footballer who played for Norwich City, Molde FK, AFC Bournemouth, Gillingham and Gravesend & Northfleet. He is the manager of Dartford. He spent two years as Welling United mana ...
stated that "He's come to play football, he's not come for money and I'm chuffed to have him on board. He has the experience we need and I believe he'll score goals." He made his debut six days later in a 1–1 draw with
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
at
The New Lawn The New Lawn, also known as The Bolt New Lawn for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. It has been the home stadium of National League club Forest Green Rovers since 2006. During the 2007–08 season the ...
. On 25 January, he scored his first goals for the club, securing a brace in a 3–0 home win over
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
. He ended the 2013–14 season with eight goals in 21 appearances for Rovers. On the opening day of the 2014–15 season, Hughes scored Forest Green's winning goal in a 1–0 away victory at
Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
. He then scored his 300th career goal with his second strike of the season in a 2–0 win over
Alfreton Town Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street. History The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alf ...
at The New Lawn on 16 August 2014. On 30 January 2015, Hughes returned to Conference Premier club
Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team competes in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. Formed in ...
on a deal till the end of the season after having his contract with Forest Green Rovers mutually terminated. On his 'second debut' for Kidderminster, he put his side ahead in a
Worcestershire Senior Cup The Worcestershire Senior Cup (officially ''The Worcestershire Football Association Senior Invitation Cup'') is a football competition organised by the Worcestershire County Football Association. It began in the 1893-94 season, with Redditch To ...
tie against
Stourbridge Stourbridge () is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Situated on the River Stour, Worcestershire, River Stour, the town lies around west of Birmingham, at the southwester ...
. He also scored on his league return against
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...
at
Aggborough Aggborough Stadium is a football stadium in Kidderminster, England. It is the home ground of Kidderminster Harriers, and has a capacity of 7,000, of which 3,140 can be seated. The ground was also the home of Worcester City between 2013 and 2 ...
, scoring in the 39th minute in a 1–1 draw. He was released at the end of the season as manager Gary Whild's playing budget was reduced by half for the 2015–16 campaign. After impressing in pre season, Hughes signed for
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
Premier Division side
Ilkeston Ilkeston ( ) is a town located in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England, with a population of 40,953 at the 2021 census. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/textiles, have now all but disappeared. Part of t ...
, and was
sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
on his debut against
Skelmersdale United Skelmersdale United Football Club is a football club from Skelmersdale, Lancashire. They are currently members of the Liverpool County Premier League and play at The Community Ground, Burscough. The club is a member of both the Liverpool Count ...
on 15 August 2015. In September 2015, Hughes signed for
Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English Association football, football club based in Worcester, England, Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Southern Football League Premier Division Central, the seventh tier of English football. ...
on non-contract terms, who played at Aggborough, the home of Kidderminster Harriers, where he started his career. He scored 19 goals in 29 appearances in the 2015–16 campaign. In February 2017, he applied to succeed Carl Heeley as manager. However, he instead left the financially troubled club and moved on to National League North rivals
AFC Telford United AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United F.C., founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. They are currently members of the and play at ...
. In March 2018, Hughes signed as a player for Northern Premier League Premier Division side
Halesowen Town Halesowen Town Football Club is a football club based in Halesowen, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Grove Recreation Ground. History The club was believed to have been established around 1873, but rec ...
. The "Yeltz" ended the 2017–18 season in 23rd-place, before being relegated out of the Southern League Premier Division Central at the end of the 2018–19 campaign. He left Halesowen in August 2019, after losing his place in the starting eleven. Later that month he joined league rivals Mickleover Sports, where he made 19 league appearances and scored six goals, and then Grantham Town in January 2020, where he scored once in six league appearances. He was reported to have been a target for
Nuneaton Borough Nuneaton Town Football Club is an English football club that was based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. It withdrew from Southern League Premier Division Central on 18 January 2024 due to financial problems and faces liquidation. In 1889, Nuneaton S ...
just before the 2019–20 season was formally abandoned on 26 March, with all results from the season being expunged, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in England The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to England with two cases among Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York on 31 January 2020. The two main public bodies responsible for health in England were NHS England and Public ...
. Hughes also ended up signing with Nuneaton in March 2020, before he announced his retirement a month later, at the age of 43. In October 2021, having made one scoring appearance for Cradley Town, Hughes appeared on the team-list for Stourport Swifts. He remained with the club until the end of the 2021–22 season, scoring four goals in 19 league appearances.


Managerial career

Hughes rejoined Worcester City as both a player and as joint-manager, alongside John Snape, on 4 May 2017; Worcester had just been relegated out of the National League North. He resigned on 6 March 2018. In March 2019, he was appointed caretaker
player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
of Halesowen Town, remaining in the role until May.


Style of play

Describing Hughes's attributes in January 2013, former Notts County
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...
Dave Kevan David John Kevan (born 31 August 1968) is a Scottish football coach and former player. A midfielder, he made his debut in the English Football League for Notts County in February 1986. He spent the next four years at the club, also enjoying a b ...
said that he was a "fantastic finisher... a clever player whose movement is good, whose intelligence is good, who uses his body well and who uses his strength well... he plays with his brain and he's adapted his game as he has got older... he's also clever enough to create opportunities for others". He maintained a "natural goalscoring instinct" throughout his career, and has said "I always fancy myself to stick the ball in the back of the net if I get a chance". His dancing
goal celebration In sports, a goal celebration is the practice of celebrating the scoring of a goal. The celebration is normally performed by the goalscorer, and may involve their teammates, the manager or coaching staff or the supporters of the team. Whilst ...
originated as a mocking tribute of a friend's bad dancing.


Personal life

The son of Bill and Gail Hughes, older brother to Clint and Brett, Hughes worked with his father as a roofer in his home-town of
Smethwick Smethwick () is an industrial town in the Sandwell district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire and then Worcestershire before bei ...
before turning professional. In 1999, Sharlene Gillies claimed that she and Hughes had a child together.
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
tests later proved that he was not the father, though by this time his engagement to lap dancer Donna Nisbet was called off. Hughes stated that "I don't think Donna was particularly happy with all the limelight that comes with football", though insisted that barracking from opposition fans only made him more determined to put in a good performance on the pitch. Hughes and Jason Roberts were questioned by police over allegations that they assaulted a man outside a pub in
Brierley Hill Brierley Hill is a town and Ward (electoral subdivision), electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands (county), West Midlands (originally in Staffordshire), England. It is located south of Dudley and north of Stourbr ...
; the case was dropped in September 2000. It was reported that he had converted to
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
during his time in prison, due in part to his friendship with Muslim prisoners and the fact that abuse of alcohol had helped to bring about his downfall – his father said that "this story is not true." In 2005 Hughes was reported to be on
suicide watch Suicide watch (sometimes shortened to SW) is an intensive monitoring process used to ensure that any person cannot attempt suicide. Usually the term is used in reference to inmates or patients in a prison, hospital, psychiatric hospital or militar ...
after learning that his wife had reportedly been seeing a younger man. He married air hostess Anna Kuzmanic in June 2000 in the
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n town of
Trogir Trogir () is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 10,107 (2021) and a total municipal population of 12,393 (2021). The historic part of the city is situated on a small island ...
. The couple had two children together but split up in 2008; the split was described as "very amicable". His eldest, Mia, was born in November 2000. Hughes was declared
bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...
in March 2018.


Causing death by dangerous driving conviction

On 23 November 2003, near his home in the
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
village of
Meriden, West Midlands Meriden is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically, it is part of Warwickshire and lies between the ...
, Hughes lost control of his Mercedes CL55 AMG and went onto the wrong side of the road before colliding with a
Renault Scénic The Renault Scénic (), also spelled without the acute accent as Scenic, especially in languages other than French, is a car which was produced by Automotive industry in France, French car manufacturer Renault, the first to be labelled as a com ...
. A passenger in the Renault, Douglas Graham, was killed in the incident, whilst Douglas Graham's wife Maureen and the driver Albert Frisby were severely injured. Hughes and passenger Adrian Smith left the scene before turning themselves into the police 36 hours later. He was arrested on suspicion of
causing death by dangerous driving Causing death by dangerous driving is a statutory offence in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as Hong Kong. It is an aggravated form of dangerous driving. In the UK, it was created by section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 198 ...
. He denied the charge, though later pleaded guilty to charges of failing to stop and failing to report an accident. During his trial at Coventry Crown Court, Hughes was accused of driving too fast in wet conditions and was described as driving "like a madman". He claimed the brakes on his car had locked, though tests showed that the brakes were in perfect working order and had technology installed to prevent the driver from losing control. When asked where he had been in the 36 hours after leaving the scene of the incident Hughes said that "I would rather not say, really", though later admitted he had travelled to
Smethwick Smethwick () is an industrial town in the Sandwell district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire and then Worcestershire before bei ...
. Prosecutor Melbourne Inman QC told the court Hughes had fled the scene to dodge a breath test. On 9 August 2004, Hughes was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, and was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Frisby said that the sentence was not long enough. Hughes lodged an appeal against the sentence, but not the conviction. In January 2005, his appeal for his sentence to be reduced was refused. He served in Category C prisons. During his time in HM Prison Featherstone he played in the
Staffordshire County Senior League The Staffordshire County Senior League is a Football (soccer), football competition based in Staffordshire, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of the Midland Football League (1994), Midland League (formerly known as the Staffordshire Senio ...
for the prison football team. He also helped to organise a charity football match which raised £5,000 for a children's hospice. He was released in August 2007, three years into his six-year sentence.


Assault conviction

On 3 December 2011, Hughes was arrested and bailed on charges of sexual assault after an incident in
Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
. He was then charged with the offence on 30 January 2012. In May 2012, Hughes was found guilty of common assault and fined £500, but the charge of sexual assault was dropped.


Career statistics


Honours

Notts County *
Football League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English Football League (EFL ...
: 2009–10 Individual *
PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
: 1998–99 First Division, 2009–10 League Two *
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
Player of the Year: 1998–99 *
Football League Two Player of the Month The EFL League Two Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the player adjudged the best for each month of the season in EFL League Two, the English football league system, fourth tier of English football. Originally na ...
: April 2010


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Lee 1976 births Living people Footballers from Smethwick English men's footballers England men's semi-pro international footballers Men's association football forwards Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players Middlesex Wanderers A.F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Forest Green Rovers F.C. players Ilkeston F.C. players Worcester City F.C. players AFC Telford United players Halesowen Town F.C. players Mickleover F.C. players Grantham Town F.C. players Nuneaton Town F.C. players Cradley Town F.C. players Stourport Swifts F.C. players National League (English football) players English Football League players Premier League players Northern Premier League players Southern Football League players English prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales English people convicted of assault British sportspeople convicted of crimes Men's association football player-managers English football managers Worcester City F.C. managers Halesowen Town F.C. managers Southern Football League managers