Hughes was born in Washington, which was then in County Durham.[1] He worked as a coal miner and played football part-time for Tow Law Town; even when he joined First Division club Newcastle United in 1956 he did not initially go full-time. He became a first-team regular in the 1957–58 season, and remained so for four years.[3] He was involved in one of the highest-scoring matches in the club's history, in September 1958. Newcastle led at Chelsea by four goals to three with half an hour to play when Hughes had to leave the field with a broken nose and eye damage. Although Newcastle scored again, Chelsea came back with three goals in the last ten minutes to win 6–5.[4] After more than a year out with a spinal injury that he thought might end his career, Hughes returned to Newcastle's first team in March 1963 with two goals against Bradford City in the FA Cup.[5]
After Peterborough United failed to sign him ahead of the April transfer deadline,[6] Hughes signed for Second DivisionDerby County for a £10,000 fee.[7] He played more than 200 times for Derby,[8] then joined Lincoln City towards the end of the 1967–68 season. He spent three years in the Fourth Division with Lincoln, playing 131 games in all competitions,[1] and was released in March 1971.[9]
^ abcd"Gordon Hughes". The Lincoln City FC Archive. Lincoln City F.C. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2013. Season details are sourced via the Season Stats dropdown menu at the bottom right of this page. The site is partly subscription-based, but only free-access sections are used for reference. If pop-up login dialogue boxes appear, press the "Cancel" button to proceed.
^"Gordon Hughes". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
