Paul Hughes (footballer)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 April 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Hammersmith, London, England | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Chelsea | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–2000 | Chelsea | 22 | (2) |
| 1998–1999 | → Stockport County (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 1999 | → Norwich City (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 1990–2000 | → Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Southampton | 0 | (0) |
| 2001–2006 | Luton Town | 79 | (7) |
| Total | 112 | (10) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012–2016 | Kings Langley (joint manager) | ||
| 2016–2017 | Hayes & Yeading United (joint manager) | ||
| 2017–2023 | Hayes & Yeading United | ||
| 2025 | Wealdstone (interim) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Paul Hughes (born 19 April 1976 in Hammersmith) is an English football manager and retired footballer who played in midfield. He was most recently assistant and then interim manager of Wealdstone.
Hughes began his career with his local side, Chelsea, and started well, scoring on his debut against Derby County with an impressive solo effort which was featured on the BBC's goal of the month competition.[1]
Thereafter, however, his career was stalled by injuries, successive managers' squad rotation policies and the signing of other midfielders like Roberto Di Matteo, Gustavo Poyet and Didier Deschamps. Chelsea won the 1996–97 FA Cup; Hughes was left out of the squad for the final but played in the previous rounds including an impressive performance in the 4–1 win over Portsmouth in the quarter-final.[2] The following year Chelsea won the European Cup Winners Cup (1997–98) and although Hughes played in the earlier rounds of the competition he made the squad but did not make the bench for the final in Stockholm.
Over the next three years he featured in 24 more games for the club, and had successful loan spells with Stockport County, Crewe Alexandra and Norwich City (where he scored against Swindon Town).[3] Hughes was recruited by Southampton, then managed by his old Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle, on a free transfer in the summer of 2000, but due to a lengthy groin injury and subsequent change of manager, left a year later.[4] Hughes' next club was Luton Town, where he remained until May 2006, making 88 appearances and scoring seven goals for the club helping them gain promotion from League 2 and become champions of League 1.
