Kevin McHugh
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the football player, Kevin McHugh. For the pianist and composer, see Kevin McHugh (musician)Kevin McHugh (musician)Kevin McHugh is an American pianist, composer and improviser. He has performed in a variety of groups and with notable musicians and teachers ranging from jazz drummer Billy Hart, saxophonist Gary Bartz, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, trombonist Robin Eubanks, Salah Ragab , trumpeter Peter Evans,...
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Kevin McHugh ; born 19 January 1980 in Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
) is an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
football (soccer) player currently with Finn Harps
Finn Harps F.C.
Finn Harps Football Club are a professional Irish football club playing in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their home matches at Finn Park. The club's colours are blue...
.
Career
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
and raised in the border-town of Killea in Co. Donegal, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Finn Harps
McHugh scored and made his debut for BallybofeyBallybofey
Ballybofey is a town located on the south bank of the River Finn, County Donegal, Ireland. Along with the smaller town of Stranorlar on the north side of the River Finn, Ballybofey makes up the Twin Towns....
-side, Finn Harps
Finn Harps F.C.
Finn Harps Football Club are a professional Irish football club playing in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their home matches at Finn Park. The club's colours are blue...
, against Fanad United in the League of Ireland Cup as just a novice 17 year old in August 1998. He went on to make 184 appearances for the side, building up a reputation as one of the deadliest forwards in the Irish game by scoring 110 league goals. In 2005, the striker became one of just five then-current players to join the 38-strong group of players to have scored 100 or more league
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
goals in the modern era.
Despite the relegation of Finn Harps
Finn Harps F.C.
Finn Harps Football Club are a professional Irish football club playing in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their home matches at Finn Park. The club's colours are blue...
from the League of Ireland Premier Division, McHugh finished third highest scorer in the 2005 season with 13 goals. He attracted the attention of other clubs, including Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
and Bohemians
Bohemian F.C.
Bohemian F.C. , more commonly referred to as Bohemians, is a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the third most successful club in League of Ireland football history, having won the League of Ireland title 11...
, before the beginning of the 2006 season.
Only two players, Brendan Bradley
Brendan Bradley
Brendan Bradley is a former Irish footballer. He holds the record for the highest number of goals, 235, scored by an individual in the League of Ireland with a club record 181 for Finn Harps .-Derry City:...
and Con McLaughlin, have scored more goals than McHugh for Finn Harps. In his first spell at the club, the Killea man scored 122 goals in 248 games for Harps and was top scorer for the club in six successive seasons from 2000/01 until he left Finn Park in 2005. McHugh is one of only a handful of players to have scored more than 100 League goals in Ireland.
He was top scorer in the First Division three times with Harps.
Derry City
McHugh had a mixed first season at the Brandywell, and by his own high standards was probably disappointed by his performances. He struggled to break up the Beckett-FarrenMark Farren
Mark Farren is an Irish footballer who plays as a striker with League of Ireland club Derry City.-Career:...
partnership up front and often found himself deployed on the right wing by Stephen Kenny. His hard work and tireless running there meant he quickly won over the City faithful, despite his long history with local rivals, Harps. McHugh managed to get on target six times in the 2006 season and performed particularly impressively in Derry's 2006 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
ties.
Linfield
Kevin McHugh signed a two and a half year contract with LinfieldLinfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
in January 2009. Kevin scored his first Linfield goal on his first start with a last gasp winner at home to Institute.
Return to Finn Harps
McHugh signed back for Harps in February 2010 and Has become 2nd all Time Goal Scorer with 140 League goals in Finn Harps History.Trivia
- As of the end of the 2010 season, Kevin is joint sixteenth in the all-time League of Ireland goalscoring list with 130 league goals.
Honours
- FAI CupFAI CupThe Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
:- Derry City F.C.Derry City F.C.Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
2006
- Derry City F.C.
- League of Ireland Cup: 3
- Derry City F.C.Derry City F.C.Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
2006, 2007, 2008
- Derry City F.C.