John "Jack" Hughes (1855 – 2 October 1914) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

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 le ...

who made two appearances as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in 1877 and 1879. He was also involved in the early days of

Aberystwyth Town Football Club Aberystwyth Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-Droed Tref Aberystwyth) is a Welsh semi-professional football team, currently playing in the Cymru Premier, the top tier of football in Wales. They are the only top flight men's football team in ...

Early life and education

Hughes was born at

Glynpadarn Llanbadarn Fawr is a village and community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is on the outskirts of Aberystwyth next to Penparcau and Southgate. It forms the eastern part of the continually built-up area of Aberystwyth. It holds two electoral wards, Pad ...

, near

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

, the son of Hugh Hughes, a local solicitor. He was educated at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

where he played "soccer" for the school first eleven in 1872–73. In October 1874, he was admitted to

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

as a "pensioner", graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(B.A.) degree in 1878. At Cambridge, he was awarded a

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

in 1875, 1876 and 1877; in the latter year, he played alongside fellow future Wales international, John Morgan.

Football career

As early as 1873, Hughes and his brother, Hugh, are recorded as scoring three goals between them in a football match in Aberystwyth. Along with their elder brother, Arthur, the three men endeavoured to create a football club in the town, although it was not until October 1884 that the present club was formed, after Arthur placed an advertisement in the local press seeking "Gentlemen wishing to join the (Aberystwyth Football) Club". Jack Hughes was captain of the local side until he moved away in 1879. Hughes was described as the "first exponent of the association game" in Aberystwyth and it was later said of him:

The pre-eminence of Jack Hughes cannot be over-emphasized . . . he was one of the best forwards in the United Kingdom. At that period, combination was unknown and a single good player in a team counted a lot, so that Aberystwyth in virtue alone of their possession of a footballer of so much renown held a high place in the football world.

Hughes's international debut came in the first international played in Wales, against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

on 5 March 1877. (The two countries had met the year before in Glasgow in Wales's first international match.) The match at

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground ( cy, Y Cae Ras) is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C. It is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having hosted Wales' first home i ...

ended in a 2–0 victory for the Scots. Hughes (now registered as an "Aberystwyth" player) was selected again two years later in April 1879, against the Scots; this match also ended in a Scottish victory, by a three-goal margin.

Later career

In 1879, Hughes left Aberystwyth and moved to London where he became a solicitor. He died in

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

in October 1914.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, John 1855 births Footballers from Aberystwyth 1914 deaths Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Cambridge University A.F.C. players Aberystwyth Town F.C. players Men's association football forwards Welsh solicitors