| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Anthony Hughes | ||
| Date of birth | 9 December 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Central defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Bury | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–2005 | Everton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005–2007 | Everton | 1 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Stockport County (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Northampton Town | 93 | (4) |
| 2009–2010 | Walsall | 26 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | North Queensland Fury | 30 | (4) |
| 2011– | Bury | 4 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:43, 20 August 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Mark Anthony Hughes (born 9 December 1986) is an English footballer, who plays for Bury as a defender. Prior to this he played for the now defunct North Queensland Fury in the A-League. Although he plays as a central defender, he is capable of being a regular goal scorer, both from the penalty spot and in open play.
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Born in Liverpool, he joined Everton at the age of seven and progressed to the rank of reserve team captain.[1] During his time at Everton, he spent a period in 2006 out on loan at Stockport County in League Two.[2] He signed a new 1 year deal with Everton in April 2006 to keep him at the club until the summer of 2007.
He was a regular captain for the reserves team and made three appearances in the Everton first team. He started in the Football League Cup game against Peterborough United on 20 September 2006 which Everton won 2–1, and came on as a substitute at half time against Luton Town in the following League Cup match which Everton won 4–0, as well as making his Premier League debut on 3 December 2006, being substituted on in the final minutes of a 2–0 victory over West Ham United at Goodison Park.[3]
He moved to Northampton Town on 31 January 2007 for an undisclosed fee and signed a two year contract. He became a first choice centreback under Stuart Gray, and scored his first goal for the club against Rotherham United on 24 March.
In June 2009 he did not take up an offer of a new contract with Northampton Town. On 8 July, Hughes signed for League One club Walsall on a free transfer. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3-2 win at Wycombe Wanderers on 31 October 2009.[4]
He was offered a new contract by Walsall on 10 May 2010.[5]
In June 2010, Hughes signed a contract with North Queensland Fury in the Australian A-League.[6] The move came as a surprise, after signing contract acceptance forms with Walsall just one month earlier.[5][7] He was given a role in the leadership group at the Fury upon arrival.[8]
"The decision to come and play in Australia has been life-changing for me. I believe I’ve improved as a footballer and grown as a man."
Hughes quickly made a name for himself in the A-League, having to turn down contracts offered by several other A-League clubs midway through the season, including Sydney FC.[8][10] In total, he scored four goals for the season including one penalty, and it was almost five after a goal originally attributed to him was later found to be an own goal.[11] He went on to be named the Fury's best player of the season at the club's awards night, in addition to receiving the People's Choice Award and the Player's Player Award.[9]
Hughes returned to England after North Queensland Fury ceased operations, and joined newly promoted League One club Bury F.C., having to turn down an offer from A-League club Newcastle Jets.[12]
Hughes signed a two-year contract with Bury on 21 June 2011, subject to a medical and international clearing. This made him new manager Richie Barker's first signing for the club.[13]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other[17] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stockport County | 2005–06 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Everton | 2006–07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| Northampton Town | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | |
| 2007–08 | 35 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | 41 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 1 | |
| Total | 93 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 4 | |
| Walsall | 2009–10 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| North Queensland Fury | 2010–11 | 30 | 4 | — | — | — | 30 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 153 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 170 | 9 | |
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