John Hughes (footballer born 1855)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1855 | ||
| Place of birth | Glynpadarn, Aberystwyth, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 2 October 1914 | ||
| Place of death | Bloomsbury, England | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1874–1878 | Cambridge University | ||
| 1873–1879 | Aberystwyth | ||
| National team | |||
| 1877–1879 | Wales | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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John "Jack" Hughes (1855 – 2 October 1914) was a Welsh amateur footballer who made two appearances as a forward for Wales in 1877 and 1879. He was also involved in the early days of Aberystwyth Town Football Club.
Hughes was born at Glynpadarn, near Aberystwyth, the son of Hugh Hughes, a local solicitor. He was educated at Shrewsbury School where he played "soccer" for the school first eleven in 1872–73.
In October 1874, he was admitted to Jesus College, Cambridge as a "pensioner", graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in 1878. At Cambridge, he was awarded a blue in 1875, 1876 and 1877; in the latter year, he played alongside fellow future Wales international, John Morgan.
As early as 1873, Hughes and his brother, Hugh, are recorded as scoring three goals between them in a football match in Aberystwyth. Along with their elder brother, Arthur, the three men endeavoured to create a football club in the town, although it was not until October 1884 that the present club was formed, after Arthur placed an advertisement in the local press seeking "Gentlemen wishing to join the (Aberystwyth Football) Club".
Jack Hughes was captain of the local side until he moved away in 1879. Hughes was described as the "first exponent of the association game" in Aberystwyth and it was later said of him:
The pre-eminence of Jack Hughes cannot be over-emphasized . . . he was one of the best forwards in the United Kingdom. At that period, combination was unknown and a single good player in a team counted a lot, so that Aberystwyth in virtue alone of their possession of a footballer of so much renown held a high place in the football world.
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