After a brilliant career in England that included over 450 appearances for teams like Bristol Rovers, Crystal Palace, and Lincoln City and resulted in a Wembley play-off victory, Jeff Hughes says the chance to join Larne back home in 2018 and contribute to the club’s ambitious project was just “too good of a chance to turn down.”
Hughes had the option to stay in England and pursue his Football League career with Tranmere Rovers, but he decided to rejoin the team he had left 13 years earlier after discussing his vision for the County Antrim team, which was then competing in Northern Ireland’s second division, with owner Kenny Bruce and manager Tiernan Lynch.
Hughes had the option to stay in England and pursue his Football League career with Tranmere Rovers, but he decided to rejoin the team he had left 13 years earlier after discussing his vision for the County Antrim team, which was then competing in Northern Ireland’s second division, with owner Kenny Bruce and manager
After leading Larne to Championship glory and helping them become one of the most powerful teams in the Irish League six years later, Hughes is getting ready for his testimonial match against a Crystal Palace XI at Inver Park this coming weekend. This match will be the main event of a Benefit Year that the former Northern Ireland international confirmed when he announced his retirement in February 2024.
After winning back-to-back Premiership titles, Larne made the switch from the Championship to the Champions League, and Hughes acknowledges that Bruce has fulfilled every promise he made during their early talks.
He said on the club’s media channel, “I thought it was too good of a chance to turn down the chance to come back and be part of Larne, my hometown, and what’s happening with it really being the first-ever full-time team in Northern Ireland and being in there from the start.” “I was overjoyed to return home.”
Everyone who sat down and spoke with
“Kenny left believing it, even though it was only one season at a time. He’s incredibly talented at that.I’ve played football for a long time, and at various places, people have promised me the world in an attempt to get me to come in. However, when you speak with that man, he really follows through on his words.
“With someone like that talking to you, it’s easy to buy into the dream because he has fulfilled every word he has said. Nothing you requested or were promised never went unfulfilled; everything was always completed.
“I did have my doubts, but I was happy to be part of it and the club from top to bottom has lived up to everything they said.”
In order to get some match fitness before the match the following weekend, Hughes has returned to the pitch during Larne’s preseason schedule. These are his first minutes since the club celebrated winning their first-ever top-flight title in the final match of the 2022–2023 season.
It’s becoming more genuine now…Hughes continued, “I’m eager to see what team they bring over. “I spoke with Iain Dowie the other day, and hopefully our first team’s matchup in the upcoming European leg will be extremely competitive.
“I’ve been focussing on accumulating some playing time so that, hopefully, I won’t look foolish during my brief appearance! I’ve been enjoying being back on the pitch, and everything has been going really well. This is the first time I’ve played in a while without thinking about my injuries. I’m eagerly anticipating it and all that surrounds it.”
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