Ronald Hughes (1 July 1930 – 30 July 2019) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a full-back. He spent his entire professional career with

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

from 1950 to 1962, where he made the second most

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

appearances in the club's history after featuring in 399 games.

Playing career

Hughes joined Chester in September 1950 after completing his army service, having previously played for hometown club Mold Alexandra. His

debut arrived in March 1952 in a 5–0 win at

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

. Hughes went on to be a regular for the next decade, predominantly in the right-back spot. He didn't miss a first-team game between September 1956 and September 1958, and most other campaigns saw him miss very few games. As a reward for his loyalty, Hughes was awarded testimonial matches against Everton in 1957 and an All-Star XI in 1961. Despite being a regular for so long, Hughes was released at the end of the 1961–62 season, his final appearance being a 2–0 loss at

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

on the final day. His long-term defensive colleague

Ray Gill Ray Gill (8 December 1924, Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neig ...

was also allowed to leave, having made seven more league appearances for Chester than Hughes. They remain the two highest

appearance makers for Cheste
Club Records
Hughes dropped back into non-league football with

Holywell Town Holywell Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Treffynnon) is a Welsh football club from Holywell, Flintshire. They are nicknamed 'The Wellmen', and play their home games at the Achieve More Training Stadium (commonly known as 'Halkyn Road ...

and had a spell back at Mold as manager in the 1970s. He later worked for the education department of Clwyd County Council.

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Ron 1930 births 2019 deaths Sportspeople from Mold, Flintshire Welsh footballers Association football defenders Mold Alexandra F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Holywell Town F.C. players English Football League players Welsh football managers