Lee Hughes

Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976 in Smethwick, West Midlands (county)) is an England association football who plays for Oldham Athletic A.F.C. as a striker.

Playing career

Non-league and West Bromwich Albion

On leaving Bristnall Hall Technology College, Oldbury, West Midlands in 1992 he signed for Kidderminster Harriers F.C. and played for them in the Football Conference, as well as having a part-time job as a roofer. He scored 35 goals in Kidderminster's 1996-97 GM Vauxhall Conference campaign but they were beaten to promotion into the Football League by Macclesfield Town F.C..

At this early point in his career Hughes was regarded as one of England's finest semi-professionals and was called up to the England C national football team. Hughes was then sold to West Bromwich Albion F.C. for £200,000 - the record fee paid for a non-league player. He described it as a dream come true, being a lifelong supporter of the club. He made his Albion debut as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers F.C. on the opening day of the 1997–98 season.

Hughes was a key player in the Albion side of the late 1990s and turn of the 21st century, scoring 31 Football League First Division goals in the 1998–99 season - more than any other player in the Football League or the Premier League.

Coventry City

However, he was unable to get Albion into the Premiership and was sold to Coventry City F.C. for a club record sale of £5million in the summer of 2001. Hughes had a clause in his contract allowing him to talk to clubs offering Albion more than £5m and Coventry offered £5,000,001. City had just been relegated from the Premiership after 34 years of top division football and Hughes was seen as the man to help fire the club back into the Premiership. City narrowly missed out on the playoffs while Hughes' former club Albion were promoted to the Premiership.

Return to West Bromwich Albion

Hughes soon returned to Albion for £2.5million - half the fee Albion had received for him a year earlier. Despite being a regular first team player, Hughes was unable to score a single Premiership goal in 2002-03 and Albion were relegated in 19th place with just 6 wins and 26 points from 38 matches.

Imprisonment

During the 2003-04 in English football season, Hughes was involved in a car crash in which his Mercedes-Benz CL-Class collided with a Renault Scénic near the Warwickshire village of Meriden, West Midlands. A passenger in the Renault, Douglas Graham, was killed in the incident and the driver Albert Frisby was severely injured. Hughes and his passenger fled the scene before turning themselves in to the police the following day. Hughes was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and released on police bail, allowing him to complete Albion's Division One campaign and gain them promotion to the Premiership with Hughes being the club's leading league goalscorer on 13 goals.

On 9 August 2004, Hughes was found guilty of causing the death by dangerous driving of Douglas Graham, and of leaving the scene of an accident. The judge criticised Hughes for having a "callous disregard" for the four occupants of the Renault and he was sentenced to six years imprisonment and was banned from driving for ten years. His contract with West Bromwich Albion was terminated. In January 2005, his appeal for his sentence to be reduced was refused. He was held at Ashwell (HM Prison) in Rutland and Featherstone (HM Prison) in Staffordshire. While in prison he converted to Islam,. He played in the Staffordshire County Senior League for Featherstone F.C., the prison football team.

Upon his release Hughes made a public apology and confirmed during his time in jail he met the daughter of Douglas Graham. Hughes stated "In going some way to facing my responsibilities, I have met with a relative of the man who died, and what was said will always remain a private and personal matter," Hughes added. "For different reasons I think we were both glad that the meeting occurred."

"I made dreadful mistakes and decisions that will live with me for the rest of my life. It also greatly affected my immediate family, including my wife and children, and I will never forgive myself for this."

Hughes also insisted he is determined to carry out community work to help others avoid the mistakes he has made saying "Whilst it is not part of my contract it has always been my intention to do some community work centred on the mistakes I have made, in the hope that it can go some way to preventing another tragedy occurring.

Oldham Athletic

In June 2007 before his proposed release date, media reports surfaced that Hughes had entered into discussions over a move to join Oldham Athletic A.F.C. and signed a two-year deal at the club. Hughes was released from prison on 20 August, leaving him free to join Oldham Athletic. His reported salary of £1,800-a-week at Boundary Park is less than a tenth of what he earned at the peak of his powers with West Bromwich.

Hughes made his debut for Oldham in a 4-1 defeat at Hartlepool United F.C. on 1 September 2007. He registered his first goals for Oldham in a 3–0 win away against A.F.C. Bournemouth on 25 November 2007, scoring twice. This performance earned him a place in the League One Team of the Week. He scored his first hat-trick for the club against Millwall in a 3-2 victory on 15 December 2007, again making the Team of the Week.