Lee Hughes
Encyclopedia
Lee Hughes is an English Footballer who plays for Notts County
as a striker.
in 1992 Hughes started playing semi-professionally in non-League football
with Kidderminster Harriers
in the Football Conference
, as well as holding down a part-time job as a roofer
. Although Hughes scored 35 goals in the 1996–97 season, Kidderminster failed to gain promotion to the Football League
, losing out to Macclesfield Town
. During his non-League playing days, Hughes had a trial at West Bromwich Albion
, who were managed by Alan Buckley
. Buckley thought that Hughes's best position was at right back and not as a striker but he failed to impress and was let go after a brief stay with the club.Baldy.
At this point in his career Hughes was regarded as one of England's finest semi-professionals and was called up to the England C national football team. In total, Hughes scored 70 goals in 139 games for Kidderminster in all competitions , before he was sold to West Bromwich Albion for an initial £200,000, a record fee for a non-League player. He described it as a dream come true, being a lifelong supporter of the club. He made his debut as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers
on the opening day of the 1997–98 season.
Hughes was a key player in the Albion side of the late 1990s and early 2000s, scoring 31 First Division
goals in the 1998–99 season – more than any other player in the Football League or the FA Premier League.
for a club record transfer fee of £5 million. He had a clause in his contract allowing him to talk to clubs offering Albion more than £5 m and Coventry offered £5,000,001. Coventry had just been relegated from the Premier league after 34 years of top flight football and Hughes was seen as the player to help fire the club back into the Premier League. However, they just missed out on the play-offs, while Albion were promoted in second place.
season, Hughes was involved in a car crash in which his Mercedes CL500
collided with a Renault Scenic
near the Warwickshire
village of Meriden
. A passenger in the Renault, Douglas Graham, was killed in the incident amid reports that he was not wearing a seatbelt, whilst his wife Maurine and the driver Albert Frisby were severely injured. Hughes and his passenger left the scene, with some newspapers stating that this was due to Lee Hughes drinking or taking drugs prior to the accident. These claims have never been proved, nor an apology made. Lee Hughes and his passenger turned themselves in to the police the following day. Hughes was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and released on police bail.
On 9 August 2004, Hughes was found guilty of causing the death by dangerous driving
of Douglas Graham, and of leaving the scene of an accident. The judge criticised Hughes for having a "callous disregard" for the four occupants of the Renault and he was sentenced to six years imprisonment and was banned from driving for ten years. His contract with West Bromwich Albion was terminated. In January 2005, his appeal for his sentence to be reduced was refused. He was held at HMP Featherstone in Staffordshire. While in prison it was reported that he had converted to Islam
. He played in the Staffordshire County Senior League
for Featherstone F.C., the prison football team.
Upon his release Hughes made a public apology and confirmed that during his time in prison he met the daughter of Douglas Graham. Hughes stated, "In going some way to facing my responsibilities, I have met with a relative of the man who died and what was said will always remain a private and personal matter. For different reasons I think we were both pleased that the meeting occurred. I made mistakes and decisions that will live with me for the rest of my life. It also greatly affected my immediate family, including my wife and children."
Hughes also insisted he was determined to carry out community work to help others avoid the mistakes he made saying "Whilst it is not part of my contract it has always been my intention to do community work centred on the mistakes I have made, in the hope that it can go some way to preventing another tragedy occurring."
club Oldham Athletic
. He signed a two-year contract at the club. He was released from prison on 20 August, leaving him free to join Oldham Athletic. His reported salary of £1,800-a-week at Boundary Park
was less than a 10th 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 at Hartlepool United
on 1 September 2007. He registered his first goals for Oldham in a 3–0 away win against Bournemouth
on 25 November, scoring twice, a performance which earned him a place in the "League One Team of the Week". He scored his first hat-trick
for the club against Millwall
in a 3–2 victory at the New Den on 15 December 2007, again making the "League One Team of the Week".
By the end of the season Hughes had scored eight goals, making him the club's second highest goalscorer. However, Oldham finished eighth and missed out on a play-off place.
In the 2008–09 season, he scored 18 goals from 36 league starts and one goal in the Football League Trophy
.
In March 2009 it was widely reported that Hughes had been involved in a drunken brawl with his manager John Sheridan where Hughes it was reported had him "in a headlock". Sheridan later downplayed the incident as "jovial", saying "people have made things up".
on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Plymouth Argyle
at Bloomfield Road
on 4 April. His first goal for the club came on 18 April against Charlton Athletic
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.
in an attempt to gain match fitness, playing in a 4–1 friendly win over Stourport Swifts
on 14 July. He later signed for League Two
team Notts County
on a two-year contract on 22 July 2009, on the same day that Sven-Göran Eriksson arrived at the club as director of football
. On his debut he scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 victory over Bradford City
. He then got his second hat-trick against Northampton Town
. In December, during a 4–1 win over Burton Albion
, Hughes scored another hat-trick, adding to his impressive goal tally. On 17 April 2010, Hughes scored two goals in a 4–1 victory over Morecambe as County won promotion to League One. 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
in the 1949–50 season.
On 1 July 2010, Hughes signed a one-year extension to his contract that would see him at County until the summer of 2012. In an interview on the club's official website, Hughes said that he loved the city, the club, and the fans. Hughes also declared that he would "love" to end his career there.
On 8 September 2011, the day of the inauguration of the new stadium of Juventus FC, in the friendly match against the team of "bianconeri", Hughes scored the goal of the definitive 1-1. He signed a new 18 month contract to stay at the club on 4 October 2011.
n Anna Kuzmanic and the couple, who lived in a £750,000 mock-Tudor mansion in Meriden
before his conviction, have two daughters, Mia and Alana.
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
as a striker.
Non-League and West Bromwich Albion
On leaving Bristnall Hall High School, OldburyOldbury, West Midlands
Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands in England. It is a part of the Black Country and the administrative centre of the borough of Sandwell.-Local government:...
in 1992 Hughes started playing semi-professionally in non-League football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
with Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...
in the Football Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
, as well as holding down a part-time job as a roofer
Roofer
A roofer specializes in roof construction, concentrating on the application of materials that water proof and / or weather proof buildings,designed material—as a substrate for the roofing materials to be installed on. The rafters, beams, and trusses are the frame or skeleton for the roof to be...
. Although Hughes scored 35 goals in the 1996–97 season, Kidderminster failed to gain promotion to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, losing out to Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
. During his non-League playing days, Hughes had a trial at West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, who were managed by Alan Buckley
Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley is an English football manager. He was manager of League Two side Grimsby Town until his dismissal in September 2008...
. Buckley thought that Hughes's best position was at right back and not as a striker but he failed to impress and was let go after a brief stay with the club.Baldy.
At this point in his career Hughes was regarded as one of England's finest semi-professionals and was called up to the England C national football team. In total, Hughes scored 70 goals in 139 games for Kidderminster in all competitions , before he was sold to West Bromwich Albion for an initial £200,000, a record fee for a non-League player. He described it as a dream come true, being a lifelong supporter of the club. He made his debut as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
on the opening day of the 1997–98 season.
Hughes was a key player in the Albion side of the late 1990s and early 2000s, scoring 31 First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
goals in the 1998–99 season – more than any other player in the Football League or the FA Premier League.
Coventry City
Albion were unsuccessful in their bid for promotion to the Premier League and in the summer of 2001 Hughes was sold to Coventry CityCoventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
for a club record transfer fee of £5 million. He had a clause in his contract allowing him to talk to clubs offering Albion more than £5 m and Coventry offered £5,000,001. Coventry had just been relegated from the Premier league after 34 years of top flight football and Hughes was seen as the player to help fire the club back into the Premier League. However, they just missed out on the play-offs, while Albion were promoted in second place.
Return to West Bromwich Albion
Hughes returned to Albion for £2.5 million – half the fee Albion had received for him a year earlier. 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.He then had a son called Ben HughesImprisonment
During the 2003–042003-04 in English football
The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
season, Hughes was involved in a car crash in which his Mercedes CL500
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
The Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is a luxury coupé automobile produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz. The name CL stands for the German Comfort Leicht ....
collided with a Renault Scenic
Renault Scénic
The Renault Scénic is a compact MPV produced by French automaker Renault, the first to be labelled as such in Europe. It is based on the chassis of the Mégane small family car. It became 1997 European Car of the Year on its launch in late 1996...
near the Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
village of Meriden
Meriden, West Midlands
-External links:*****...
. A passenger in the Renault, Douglas Graham, was killed in the incident amid reports that he was not wearing a seatbelt, whilst his wife Maurine and the driver Albert Frisby were severely injured. Hughes and his passenger left the scene, with some newspapers stating that this was due to Lee Hughes drinking or taking drugs prior to the accident. These claims have never been proved, nor an apology made. Lee Hughes and his passenger turned themselves in to the police the following day. Hughes was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and released on police bail.
On 9 August 2004, Hughes was found guilty of causing the death by dangerous driving
Death by dangerous driving
Causing death by dangerous driving is a statutory offence in England and Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is an aggravated form of dangerous driving...
of Douglas Graham, and of leaving the scene of an accident. The judge criticised Hughes for having a "callous disregard" for the four occupants of the Renault and he was sentenced to six years imprisonment and was banned from driving for ten years. His contract with West Bromwich Albion was terminated. In January 2005, his appeal for his sentence to be reduced was refused. He was held at HMP Featherstone in Staffordshire. While in prison it was reported that he had converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He played in the Staffordshire County Senior League
Staffordshire County Senior League
The Staffordshire County Senior League is a football competition based in Staffordshire, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of the Midland League and the Staffordshire County League....
for Featherstone F.C., the prison football team.
Upon his release Hughes made a public apology and confirmed that during his time in prison he met the daughter of Douglas Graham. Hughes stated, "In going some way to facing my responsibilities, I have met with a relative of the man who died and what was said will always remain a private and personal matter. For different reasons I think we were both pleased that the meeting occurred. I made mistakes and decisions that will live with me for the rest of my life. It also greatly affected my immediate family, including my wife and children."
Hughes also insisted he was determined to carry out community work to help others avoid the mistakes he made saying "Whilst it is not part of my contract it has always been my intention to do community work centred on the mistakes I have made, in the hope that it can go some way to preventing another tragedy occurring."
Oldham Athletic
In June 2007 before his proposed release date, media reports surfaced that Hughes had entered into discussions over a move to join League OneFootball League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
. He signed a two-year contract at the club. He was released from prison on 20 August, leaving him free to join Oldham Athletic. His reported salary of £1,800-a-week at Boundary Park
Boundary Park
Boundary Park is the main sports stadium of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with the towns of Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively, giving rise to the name Boundary Park....
was less than a 10th 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 at Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
on 1 September 2007. He registered his first goals for Oldham in a 3–0 away win against Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
on 25 November, scoring twice, a performance which earned him a place in the "League One Team of the Week". He scored his first hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
for the club against Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in a 3–2 victory at the New Den on 15 December 2007, again making the "League One Team of the Week".
By the end of the season Hughes had scored eight goals, making him the club's second highest goalscorer. However, Oldham finished eighth and missed out on a play-off place.
In the 2008–09 season, he scored 18 goals from 36 league starts and one goal in the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
.
In March 2009 it was widely reported that Hughes had been involved in a drunken brawl with his manager John Sheridan where Hughes it was reported had him "in a headlock". Sheridan later downplayed the incident as "jovial", saying "people have made things up".
Loan move to Blackpool
On 26 March 2009 Hughes joined Championship club BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
on 4 April. His first goal for the club came on 18 April against Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
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.
Notts County
In 2009, Hughes joined up with former club Kidderminster HarriersKidderminster Harriers F.C.
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...
in an attempt to gain match fitness, playing in a 4–1 friendly win over Stourport Swifts
Stourport Swifts F.C.
Stourport Swifts are a football team from Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire and one of the oldest non-league teams in the country. The Swifts gained promotion to the Southern League Division One West in 2001 from the Midland Alliance, and currently play at Walshes Meadow in the town.In the year...
on 14 July. He later signed for League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
team Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
on a two-year contract on 22 July 2009, on the same day that Sven-Göran Eriksson arrived at the club as director of football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
. On his debut he scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 victory over Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
. He then got his second hat-trick against Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
. In December, during a 4–1 win over Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
, Hughes scored another hat-trick, adding to his impressive goal tally. On 17 April 2010, Hughes scored two goals in a 4–1 victory over Morecambe as County won promotion to League One. 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
Tommy Lawton
Thomas "Tommy" Lawton was an English association footballer who rose to fame a short time before the outbreak of the Second World War and enjoyed a successful career which lasted until well into the 1950s....
in the 1949–50 season.
On 1 July 2010, Hughes signed a one-year extension to his contract that would see him at County until the summer of 2012. In an interview on the club's official website, Hughes said that he loved the city, the club, and the fans. Hughes also declared that he would "love" to end his career there.
On 8 September 2011, the day of the inauguration of the new stadium of Juventus FC, in the friendly match against the team of "bianconeri", Hughes scored the goal of the definitive 1-1. He signed a new 18 month contract to stay at the club on 4 October 2011.
Career statistics
- Correct as of match played 18 April 2010.
Seasons Club League FA Cup FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...League Cup Football League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals 1995–97 Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers F.C.Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...108 51 0 0 0 0 105 51 1997–2001 West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C.West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...155 79 6 2 13 4 174 85 2001–02 Coventry City Coventry City F.C.Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...42 15 0 0 2 0 44 15 2002–04 West Bromwich Albion 55 11 0 0 5 2 60 13 2007–2009 Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic A.F.C.Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...53 25 3 1 2 0 60 26 2009 Blackpool Blackpool F.C.Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
(loan)3 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 2009– Notts County 42 31 5 3 1 0 48 34 Total 453 213 14 6 23 6 495 225
Personal life
Hughes is married to CroatiaCroatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n Anna Kuzmanic and the couple, who lived in a £750,000 mock-Tudor mansion in Meriden
Meriden, West Midlands
-External links:*****...
before his conviction, have two daughters, Mia and Alana.
Charitable work
While in prison Hughes helped to organise a charity football match which raised £5,000 for a children's hospice. A fellow prisoner told a newspaper that Hughes had set up the match to give something back to the community saying, "He's trying desperately hard to redeem himself. He is heartbroken."External links
- Lee Hughes profile at the Notts County website