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Steven Crawford

Dream come true for Jeff Hughes as his career goes full circle at hometown Larne

Jeff Hughes has experienced quite a lot during a footballing career spanning two decades.

From representing his country, playing against the likes of Buffon, Pirlo and Del Piero and winning a final at Wembley.

But playing for his hometown team Larne is right up there for the 37-year-old.

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A ruptured ACL with MCL and meniscus damage may have forced Hughes to bring his retirement plans forward by a few months but he is able to look back on his career with great pride.

"Playing for Northern Ireland was a massive thing," he said.

"Getting to the Irish Cup final back in 2005 was a massive achievement, because we weren't the Larne we are now back then.

"I played a friendly against Juventus, and that was one of the first times I was really star-struck, that was fantastic.

"The play-off final we won with Tranmere at Wembley, and promotion with Fleetwood are a couple of other memories, so I had a few good days away and thankfully I have a few memories to look back on."

It was a big thing for Hughes to be able to return to Inver Park after he left Tranmere.

He was coming back to a very different club to the one he left back in 2005.

With the investment from Kenny Bruce the Invermen were hoping to go from also rans to challenging for major honours.

Hughes bought into the dream and is delighted to see where the club is now.

"Yeah my career has gone full circle but it's brilliant to see where the club is now," he said.

"When I spoke to them at the start Tiernan (Lynch) laid out his plans, but unless you have someone like Kenny behind that it easy things to say.

"But both Tiernan and Kenny have stuck to everything they said they were going to do.

"They sold me a dream, and it has been a dream coming back. Long may it continue."

That dream certainly looks like continuing as Larne sit top of the Danske Bank Premiership and are in the quarter-finals of the Irish Cup.

Hughes will miss out in playing his part on the field in the final crucial games of the season, but he thinks the team more than capable of lifting major honours come the end of the campaign.

"Although I obviously won't have played as much this year it would be a fantastic way to go out if we did manage to win either of them," he said.

"I think we're more equipped this year than we've ever been to sustain a proper challenge, which we are doing.

"We're as good as anybody. When you see other top six sides coming here and playing differently to how they normally would, that shows how good we are.

"We just have to believe in ourselves and push on and get that first one over the line."

Jeff Hughes with Larne manager Tiernan Lynch (INPHO/Stephen Hamilton)

His next big challenge is to find the next Jeff Hughes as he becomes Larne’s new Head of Youth Development Phase.

Hughes admitted to feeling "nervous" about his new role, but given his experience and his qualities both on and off the pitch, the rising stars at Inver Park could have no-one better to propel them on to future success.

"I'm very new to that side of things and it is a bit daunting and I'm a bit nervous about it, but hopefully I just take the professionalism I've had for 20 years into it and hopefully I can do a good job," he said.

"The Larne youth teams gave me the grounding to actually go on and have a career in football.

Jeff Hughes celebrates with the County Antrim Shield (INPHO/Stephen Hamilton)

"Now I've been able to come back and finish my career here, go into the youth academy and hopefully give young boys and girls the chance to do what I did and play football, whether it be Irish League or whatever, which is a great honour.

"If we can get them nice and early and get them in love with football, hopefully push them up through, I honestly think it will be the best thing that's happened this club in years.

"I played for Larne Tech IIs when I was about 15 or 16.

"That was my first taste of men's football and I think that did me the world of good.

"It's about getting these kids as much contact time and football at a young age.

"We've got the amazing set-ups in the Academy teams and the training facilities are one of the best, if not the best in the country."

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