Yet another player to have more than one spell at Boro’, forward Jimmy Hughes was in prolific form during the 1990-1 season. Not that it’s a problem to spread your record at a club across more than one period of time. In the proper non-league era (i.e., the 1980), it was common. Anyway, we digress. Hughes is the striker who first appeared for a Boro’ side back in the late 1970s – before the club upgraded from youth to senior status. We’re still working on that period, so bear with us.
Hughes made his senior debut for Boro’ during our ill-fated 1987-8 campaign; one in which ended in our first-ever relegation. Not that we can pin any of that on the forward. The writing was largely on the wall by the time he arrived during the second half of the season. After finding the net early on, the goals dried up quickly. That was very much indicative of the form we were in. But, in a huge contrast, Hughes returned in 1990; scoring 32 times as Boro’ won the Division Two North title at a canter.
Jimmy Hughes: After Boro’
Hughes made the step up with us to Division One – but wasn’t with us much longer. He soon fell out of favour with manager Paul Fairclough, judging by the records. Indeed, the forward remarked in an interview some time later that he “didn’t see eye-to-eye quite a lot of the time” with Cloughie. As the 1991-2 campaign came to an end, Hughes moved on to Boreham Wood; ironically crossing paths with future Boro’ chairman Phil Wallace. A short, but successful, spell at Hitchin Town also followed.
Mind you, he did stay involved with the Boro’ as our U14 manager after leaving.
