Billy Hughes (footballer, born 1948)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Hughes[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 30 December 1948 | ||
| Place of birth | Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 20 December 2019 (aged 70) | ||
| Place of death | Derby, England[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1966–1977 | Sunderland | 287 | (74) |
| 1967 | → Vancouver Royal Canadians (loan)[3] | 7 | (0) |
| 1977 | Derby County | 19 | (8) |
| 1977–1979 | Leicester City | 37 | (5) |
| 1979 | → Carlisle United (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1980 |
San Jose Earthquakes | 1 | (0) |
| Corby Town | |||
| Total | 356 | (87) | |
| International career | |||
| 1975 | Scotland | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William Hughes (30 December 1948 – 20 December 2019)[4] was a Scottish professional footballer. During his career he played as a forward for Sunderland, Derby County, Leicester City, Carlisle United and San Jose Earthquakes, making a total of 349 appearances and scoring 87 goals. He also won one cap for the Scotland national football team.
Playing career
Hughes was discovered by Sunderland scout Tom Rutherford while playing for
Hughes played a large role in Sunderland's 1972–73 FA Cup run, scoring four goals on the way to the final.[6] He scored one goal against Manchester City in the fifth round tie at Maine Road,[8] and then another two in the replay at Roker Park.[9] He also scored in the semi-final against Arsenal, and took the corner that led to Ian Porterfield scoring the winner against Leeds United in the final on 5 May 1973.
His Sunderland career ended in September 1977 when Derby County paid £30,000 for his signature.[6] In his time at Sunderland Hughes amassed 332 appearances, scoring 82 times.[10] Leeds United manager Don Revie had tried to prise Hughes away from Sunderland at one point, and spoke positively about the Scotsman saying he "is one of the most exciting players I've seen. He loves to go forward. He runs straight at opponents forcing them to commit themselves and can shoot with either foot."[5]
His stay at Derby County was brief, he lasted just two months before being allowed to join
International career
Hughes earned his solitary cap for Scotland on 16 April 1975 against
Personal life
His older brother John was also a footballer, and played together with Billy at Sunderland in 1973. Another brother Pat was also a player.
Following his retirement from football, Hughes worked as a licensee in Derby, and later returned to the North East England as clubhouse manager of Stressholme Golf Club in Darlington.[10]
Hughes died on 20 December 2019, aged 70, after a long illness.[13]
Honours
Club
Sunderland
Individual
References
- ^ "Billy Hughes". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ Obituary: Billy Hughes, FA Cup winner with Sunderland and Scotland internationalist, younger brother of ‘Yogi’, The Scotsman, 28 December 2019
- ^ "NASL-William Hughes".
- ^ Billy Hughes Obituary, Sunderland AFC
- ^ ISBN 978-1-899538-14-0.
- ^ a b c Dykes, p. 218.
- ^ "Sunderland 2 Liverpool 2". The Stat Cat. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Manchester City 2 Sunderland 2". The Stat Cat. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Sunderland 3 Manchester City 1". The Stat Cat. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ a b Dykes, p. 219.
- ^ a b c d "Billy Hughes". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Sweden v Scotland". Scottish FA. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ "Billy Hughes: Sunderland FA Cup winner dies at age of 70". BBC Sport. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
