Mark Hughes | All 7 goals for Blackburn Rovers

Описание: Rovers signed striker, Mark Hughes, on a free transfer in October 2000 after the Welshman was released by Premier League Everton. It was the first time that Hughes would play in the second tier of any professional League during his career, as Blackburn Rovers were a Championship club at the time vying for promotion under the management of Graeme Souness.

Hughes, 36 at the time, would add invaluable experience to a Rovers squad containing an exciting mix of young and older players and would play an important role in helping Rovers to win promotion back to the Premier League.

The veteran striker got his Rovers career off to a flyer, scoring twice on his debut in a 3-2 win against Tranmere Rovers at Ewood Park. Hughes went on to play the full 90 minutes in his first seven consecutive games, before being played sparingly from then on. That did not diminish his impact on the Rovers side however, as there were many games where he saw an hour or more of playing time. One such example being the 66 minutes he played at Turf Moor in a heated 2-0 Rovers victory. Hughes also featured for an hour in a 3-2 win over Preston North End at Ewood Park, with the striker putting Rovers 2-0 up in under 10 minutes.

The 2000/01 season saw Rovers enjoy a long run in the FA Cup, a run which ended at the Quarter Final stage with a defeat against Arsenal at Highbury. The cup run was to be favourable for Mark Hughes who featured in every round of the competition for Rovers that season. In all, Hughes made 34 appearances for Rovers in the 2000/01 season, scoring five goals.

With Rovers back in the Premier League in the 2001/02 season and Hughes about to turn 37 in November, the striker's game time became limited. Hughes featured 21 times in the Premier League that season, but failed to complete a single 90 minutes during the League campaign. He featured in nine cup games in total that season and only completed 90 minutes three times times out of those nine games.

However, the most notable of those 90 minutes came in Rovers' biggest game of 2001/02 campaign, the League Cup final in Cardiff against Tottenham. This is a game and performance that Rovers' fans will never forget and Mark Hughes' role that day is something that the fans proudly speak about to this day. With Tugay and Flitcroft missing the final due to either injury or suspension, Rovers were short of central midfield options and up stepped 38 year old Mark Hughes, to put in a colossal display in central midfield for Rovers as Rovers won the cup. Mark Hughes retired as a professional footballer at the end of that season in July 2002 and it is fitting that he exited as a trophy winner at Blackburn.

The Hughes and Rovers story was far from over, as a few years later the Welshman arrived at the club, this time as the manager. His period of time in charge as Rovers manager remains one of the most exciting teams the Rovers fans have witnessed and lived through.

There is a special association between Mark Hughes and Blackburn Rovers, both as a player and a manager and he is fondly remembered.

Mark Hughes made 64 appearances as Rovers player over two seasons and scored seven goals. Here are those goals.