Jeffrey Edward Hughes (born 29 May 1985) is a retired Northern Irish
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 ...
who played as a defensive midfielder. He has also played internationally for
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, making his debut during their 2006 summer tour of the United States. He is currently Head of Youth Development Phase at
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid ...
.
Career
Hughes played for the
Ballymena United
Ballymena United Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Northern Ireland. Based in Ballymena, County Antrim, the team competes in the NIFL Premiership and plays home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds which is owned by the ...
academy, before transferring to the academy at hometown club
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid ...
. He went on to make his
Irish League debut for The Harbour Rats, before moving 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, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
in England to join
Lincoln City in
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
.
He was originally deployed in the left-back position for Larne, however under
John Schofield
John McAllister Schofield (September 29, 1831 – March 4, 1906) was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He was appointed U.S. Secretary of War (1868–1869) under President Andrew Johnson and later served ...
at Lincoln, he has proven that he is equally adept at playing a more attacking role as a wing-back and a winger on the left side.
Despite Hughes' three goals over two legs against
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...
, Lincoln experienced their fourth-successive play-off defeat in 2007, and Hughes moved to
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 building ...
of
The Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
, reaching his highest level yet. However, he struggled at
Selhurst Park. He went on a two-month loan to
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
in November 2007, scoring once against
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
...
. In the January transfer window, Peterborough tried to agree terms with Hughes to sign him, but failed to do so, and thus he returned to Palace.
At the end of March,
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...
signed Hughes on a loan deal until the end of the season, but he was injured on his reserve team debut, after giving Rovers the lead. He returned to Palace for treatment, before signing permanently for Rovers in the summer.
On 30 April 2010 he was called to the
Northern Ireland B national football team
The Northern Ireland national football B team is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the Northern Ireland national football team. Primarily seen as a stepping-stone between the under-21 and full international teams, B team ma ...
for a friendly against
Scotland B national football team
The Scotland national football B team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is run occasionally as a second team for the Scotland national football team. During the period when Berti Vogts was manager of the national team, it was also ...
on 6 May 2010.
On 18 September 2010 Hughes scored his first professional hat-trick away to Dagenham and Redbridge, a game which Rovers won 3–0.
He was one of seventeen players released by the team in May 2011.
On 28 June 2011, Hughes signed for
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side Notts County on a two-year deal. He scored on his league debut against Carlisle United on 6 August 2011.
On 22 May 2013, Hughes signed for
Fleetwood Town.
On 14 July 2015, Hughes signed a two-year contract with
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on Ne ...
.
In January 2016, Hughes moved to
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
, on loan for the rest of the season, before signing a two-year deal with them in July of that year.
On 11 April 2018, Hughes rejoined his hometown club
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid ...
on a 3-year deal. During his second spell at the club, Hughes lead the Inver men to the Championship title in 2019 and promotion back into the Irish Premiership, for the first time since 2005. Success followed, as Larne would go onto win the County Antrim Shield three times, qualify for Europe on two occasions, including a magnificent campaign in 2021, winning through against Bala Town and Aarhus GF. Domestically, Hughes guided Larne to another Irish Cup final, losing to Linfield, but ultimately winning their first Irish League title in the clubs 134-year history in 2022–23 season.
On 8 February 2023, Hughes announced his retirement following a serious injury, remaining at Larne in the role of Head of Youth Development Phase.
Career statistics
Honours
Tranmere Rovers
*
National League play-offs:
2017–18
Larne
*
NIFL Championship
The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...
:
2018–19
*
County Antrim Shield
The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield (more commonly known as the County Antrim Shield) is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Fo ...
: (3) 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022-23
Individual
*
NIFL Championship
The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...
Team of the Year 2018-19
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Jeff
1985 births
Sportspeople from Larne
Living people
Men's association football defenders
Northern Ireland men's under-21 international footballers
Northern Ireland men's international footballers
Ballymena United F.C. players
Larne F.C. players
English Football League players
Lincoln City F.C. players
Crystal Palace F.C. players
Peterborough United F.C. players
Bristol Rovers F.C. players
Notts County F.C. players
Fleetwood Town F.C. players
Cambridge United F.C. players
NIFL Premiership players
Tranmere Rovers F.C. players
Association footballers from County Antrim
Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland