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Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976) is an English former professional footballer. A strong striker with excellent finishing abilities, Hughes represented the England semi-professional team once in 1996. After being released as a Youth system footballer, Hughes worked as a roofer alongside his father. He started his career in the Conference with Kidderminster Harriers before winning a Pound sterling380,000 move to boyhood club West Bromwich Albion in August 1997. He finished as the club's top-scorer for four seasons running, earning a place on the PFA Team of the Year in 1998–99 after finishing as the highest scorer in the top four divisions of English football. He was sold to Coventry City for £5 million in August 2001 before returning to West Brom for half of that figure twelve months later. He failed to impress in the Premier League as Albion suffered relegation but helped the club to make an immediate return to the top flight as runners-up in the First Division in 2003–04.
In August 2004, he was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for causing death by dangerous driving following a fatal crash on 23 November 2003. Following his release from prison in 2007, he returned to the professional game with Oldham Athletic of League One. He signed for Notts County in July 2009 and was named on the PFA Team of the Year after scoring 30 league goals as the club won the League Two title in 2009–10. He left Notts County to sign for Port Vale in January 2013 and helped the club to secure promotion out of League Two in 2012–13. In January 2014, he signed for Forest Green Rovers on an 18-month deal. In January 2015, he returned to Kidderminster Harriers and moved on to Ilkeston and then Worcester City in the summer. He became a prolific goalscorer into his 40s and signed with AFC Telford United in February 2017. He began his management career as joint-manager of Worcester City, alongside John Snape, in May 2017. In March 2018, he joined Halesowen Town as a player, where he remained until moving on to Mickleover Sports in August 2019. He later played for Grantham Town, Nuneaton Borough, Cradley Town and Stourport Swifts.
He made his debut at The Hawthorns as a substitute in a 2–1 win over Tranmere Rovers on 9 August 1997. Seven days later he scored two goals from the bench in a 3–2 win over Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road. Though signed by Ray Harford, he came to the fore under new boss Denis Smith. Smith handed Hughes his first start on 28 December, in a 1–1 home draw with Stoke City. He finished his debut season as the club's top-scorer with 14 goals in 41 appearances and was rewarded with a new four-year contract.
He started the 1998–99 season in fine form, and claimed his first ever hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Port Vale at Vale Park on 22 August. Despite having recently signed a long-term contract, his form and goal record led to constant rumours of a big money move to a host of Premier League clubs. West Brom eventually issued a "hands-off" warning to other clubs. He claimed further hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town, and finished the season with 32 goals in 45 games. This tally left him as the country's top-scorer. He was named on the PFA Team of the Year for the First Division. (1999). 9781852916077, AFS. ISBN 9781852916077 He then submitted a written transfer request, and his spokesman told the press that there have "been a number of things going on behind the scenes which have unsettled him recently". In particular, his £1,400 a week salary was compared with the £5,000 a week salary of under-performing teammate Fabian de Freitas.
He remained at the club for the 1999–2000 season and scored 17 goals in 43 appearances. Albion struggled in the First Division under new manager Brian Little, though improved after Gary Megson replaced Little as manager in March and avoided relegation despite Hughes missing the final five matches of the season due to a knee injury.
He was partnered with Jason Roberts for the 2000–01 season; the pair went on to score 40 goals between them to help secure the "Baggies" a play-off place. With 23 goals to his name, he again attracted interest from other clubs. He claimed two hat-tricks in seven days against Gillingham and Preston North End. Hughes converted a penalty in a 2–2 draw with Bolton Wanderers in the first leg of the play-off semi-final before a 3–0 defeat at the Reebok Stadium ended Albion's play-off hopes. He refused to sign a new contract in July 2001, and was placed on the transfer list.
He opened his account for the 2008–09 season with a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Cheltenham Town on 23 August. Stating his future ambitions as playing EFL Championship football with Oldham, he was offered a new deal at the club on 30 December 2008. He was linked with a move to Doncaster Rovers in January 2009, but stayed put after talks with manager John Sheridan, who insisted Hughes was "very happy" at Oldham. In March 2009, it was widely reported that Hughes had been involved in a drunken brawl with Sheridan where Hughes was reported to have had him "in a headlock". Sheridan later downplayed the incident as "jovial", saying, "people have made things up". Sheridan was sacked, but insisted that the two incidents were not related, as "it was results that cost me the job".
On 26 March 2009, Hughes joined Championship club Blackpool on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle at Bloomfield Road on 4 April. His first goal for the club came on 18 April against Charlton Athletic at the Valley, when after coming on as an 89th-minute substitute, and with Blackpool 2–1 down, he scored four minutes later to make the score 2–2. Hughes ended the campaign as Oldham's highest scorer with 18 goals in 40 appearances. However, he was one of several players released by the club's new manager Dave Penney in May 2009, and returned to Kidderminster Harriers for training to keep up his fitness levels whilst searching for a new club.
On 23 September 2010, Hughes revealed a 'Boing, Boing' t-shirt in a EFL Cup tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium – the slogan of Wolves' rivals West Bromwich Albion – and was quizzed by police after angry Wolves fans retaliated to the message by attacking Notts County supporters' coaches. He was reported to be "angry" at being named as a substitute in a league game against Milton Keynes Dons on 11 December, though boss Paul Ince stated that "Hughesy is 34 and cannot play week in week out. But he's never come and said, 'I should be starting'. He's been different class." On 8 January 2011, he was on the scoresheet as County beat Premier League side Sunderland 2–1 in the FA Cup. Two weeks later he was confirmed to be a target of Sheffield Wednesday. He remained with the "Magpies", and ended the 2010–11 season as the club's top-scorer with 16 goals in 37 appearances. The club again went through a succession of managers – Craig Short, Paul Ince and then Martin Allen – and ended the season three points above the relegation zone.
On 8 September 2011, he played against Italian club Juventus FC in the inaugural game of the Juventus Stadium, and scored County's goal in a 1–1 draw; after the game he had a signed shirt from Andrea Pirlo. The next month he accepted a pay cut to sign a new 18-month contract, and was quoted as saying he never planned to leave the club as "the fans have taken me in and I love it here". He ended the 2011–12 campaign on 11 goals in 44 games. In summer 2012, the club rejected offers for Hughes from Cheltenham Town and former club Oldham Athletic.
At the beginning of the 2012–13 season, new manager Keith Curle stated that "we know he is of an age where he won't be playing for 46 games, so he needs to be managed". New signing Yoann Arquin became the county's first choice striker, and Hughes announced his intention to leave the club to find first-team football. He was reported to have joined Port Vale on loan, with a view to a permanent move, on 22 November 2012; though the deal had yet to be ratified by the English Football League. However, the next day it was revealed that the loan move would not go through as the relevant paperwork had not been sent in on time. Three weeks later Hughes provided the club with a sick note, saying that he was unavailable until January. His contract was terminated by mutual consent on 7 January 2013.
He was not a regular starter in the 2013–14 season, especially as Jordan Hugill began to impress from the youth development squad. So he decided to leave the club in the January transfer window.
On the opening day of the 2014–15 season, Hughes scored Forest Green's winning goal in a 1–0 away victory at Southport. He then scored his 300th career goal with his second strike of the season in a 2–0 win over Alfreton Town at The New Lawn on 16 August 2014.
On 30 January 2015, Hughes returned to Conference Premier club Kidderminster Harriers on a deal till the end of the season after having his contract with Forest Green Rovers mutually terminated. On his 'second debut' for Kidderminster, he put his side ahead in a Worcestershire Senior Cup tie against Stourbridge. He also scored on his league return against Woking at Aggborough, scoring in the 39th minute in a 1–1 draw. He was released at the end of the season as manager Gary Whild's playing budget was reduced by half for the 2015–16 campaign.
After impressing in pre season, Hughes signed for Northern Premier League Premier Division side Ilkeston, and was sent off on his debut against Skelmersdale United on 15 August 2015.
In September 2015, Hughes signed for Worcester City on non-contract terms, who played at Aggborough, the home of Kidderminster Harriers, where he started his career. He scored 19 goals in 29 appearances in the 2015–16 campaign. In February 2017, he applied to succeed Carl Heeley as manager. However, he instead left the financially troubled club and moved on to National League North rivals AFC Telford United.
In March 2018, Hughes signed as a player for Northern Premier League Premier Division side Halesowen Town. The "Yeltz" ended the 2017–18 season in 23rd-place, before being relegated out of the Southern League Premier Division Central at the end of the 2018–19 campaign. He left Halesowen in August 2019, after losing his place in the starting eleven. Later that month he joined league rivals Mickleover Sports, where he made 19 league appearances and scored six goals, and then Grantham Town in January 2020, where he scored once in six league appearances.
He was reported to have been a target for Nuneaton Borough just before the 2019–20 season was formally abandoned on 26 March, with all results from the season being expunged, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Hughes also ended up signing with Nuneaton in March 2020, before he announced his retirement a month later, at the age of 43. In October 2021, having made one scoring appearance for Cradley Town, Hughes appeared on the team-list for Stourport Swifts. He remained with the club until the end of the 2021–22 season, scoring four goals in 19 league appearances.
He married air hostess Anna Kuzmanic in June 2000 in the town of Trogir. The couple had two children together but split up in 2008; the split was described as "very amicable". His eldest, Mia, was born in November 2000. Hughes was declared Bankruptcy in March 2018.
During his trial at Coventry Crown Court, Hughes was accused of driving too fast in wet conditions and was described as driving "like a madman". He claimed the brakes on his car had locked, though tests showed that the brakes were in perfect working order and had technology installed to prevent the driver from losing control. When asked where he had been in the 36 hours after leaving the scene of the incident Hughes said that "I would rather not say, really", though later admitted he had travelled to Smethwick. Prosecutor Melbourne Inman QC told the court Hughes had fled the scene to dodge a breath test. On 9 August 2004, Hughes was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, and was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Frisby said that the sentence was not long enough. Hughes lodged an appeal against the sentence, but not the conviction. In January 2005, his appeal for his sentence to be reduced was refused.
He served in Category C prisons. During his time in HM Prison Featherstone he played in the Staffordshire County Senior League for the prison football team. He also helped to organise a charity football match which raised £5,000 for a children's hospice. He was released in August 2007, three years into his six-year sentence.
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