John Hughes (footballer, born 1943)

John 'Yogi' Hughes (born 3 April 1943 in Coatbridge) is a former Scottish football player with Celtic, Crystal Palace and Sunderland. Hughes was nicknamed 'Yogi',^[1] derived from the popular cartoon character Yogi Bear. He is known as one of the Lisbon Lions,^[1] although he did not play in the 1967 European Cup Final itself due to injury.

Club career

Hughes signed for Celtic from Shotts Bon Accord in 1960, and scored 189 goals in 416 appearances during his eleven seasons with the club. He was part of the Celtic squad who won the 1967 European Cup and became known as the Lisbon Lions. Although Hughes was dropped for the side who won the final, he was awarded a winner's medal in recognition of the part he played in the team. He had played in the requisite number of matches to qualify for a medal, as had Joe McBride and Charlie Gallagher.

Celtic reached the European Cup final for the second time in 1970, after they defeated English champions Leeds United in both legs of the semi-final. In the first leg, Celtic beat Leeds 1–0 at Elland Road with a goal from George Connelly. The second leg, which was played at Hampden Park in front of almost 140,000 people, was won 2–1 by Celtic. Hughes scored Celtic's first goal in that match, after Billy Bremner had given Leeds an early lead and levelled the aggregate score. Celtic lost the final 2–1 after extra time to Dutch side Feyenoord, with Hughes playing the whole game. Despite playing primarily on the wing, Hughes remains one of Celtic's all-time highest goal scorers (6th) and is firmly established as a club legend.

Hughes moved to Crystal Palace in 1971, in a £30,000 joint deal with Willie Wallace. He scored the 1971–72 runner-up 'Goal of the Season', in a 5–1 win over Sheffield United. He joined Sunderland for £35,000 in January 1973, but injury brought a premature end to his career later that year. He only played 15 minutes of football for Sunderland.

International career

Hughes earned eight full international caps for the Scotland national team between 1965 and 1970. He made his debut in a goalless draw with Spain at Hampden Park. Hughes scored four goals in six appearances for the Scottish League XI.^[2]

Post-playing career

After coaching with Baillieston, Hughes was appointed manager of Stranraer in 1975, but he left the role after just one year. In 1978, Hughes became the first international team manager of the Scottish Junior Football Association.

Personal life

Hughes' younger brother Billy was also a professional footballer and played for Sunderland at the same time as John. Billy earned his only Scotland cap five years after John's last international appearance.

References