“I think the measure of a good manager is if the club is in a better position when he leaves than when he took over.”
Those are the words of Newtown AFC boss Chris Hughes as this week marks the sixth anniversary since he took over the Latham Park hot seat and his seventh season at the club.
That opening line my set a few Robins’ fans hearts racing, but fear not. The man who has guided the club to numerous play-off semi-finals, Europe, and a Welsh Cup final, is not playing on flying the Robins nest anytime soon.
If anything the man who has masterminded the Robins rise from the club who should have been relegated, to the club who won in Europe, is more hungry than ever to continue to build his and indeed the club’s legacy.
A man who lives and breathes the game, Hughes is never shy when it comes to talking about football, and he has plenty of memories to recall from his time in the Latham Park dugout.
“I came from Prestatyn where we had won the cup, won in Europe and then this opportunity came up and I went for it, I wanted to test myself,” said Hughes, who looks back on his six years with great pride.
“The first two months were great, we got into the play-offs and then we have done maybe four or five times since.
“The biggest moment was that recruitment that the first summer, we brought in Jason Oswell, Matty Owen, Stef Edwards, Dave Jones and others, and that was the Welsh Cup final year, the year in Europe.
‘We look back at that now and still think wow, winning in Valetta, going to Copenhagen.
“I remember going 1-0 down after four minutes in Denmark and looking at the clock and not knowing what to think.
“They were a quality side, their players went on to play in the World Cup, Serie A, the German league, the Premier League and we lost 5-1 over two legs which was incredible.
“To think just two years before the club remained in the league on a technicality.”
Hughes took on a team from Bernard McNally back in 2013 that had just begun to turn. McNally didn’t have the best of success in the Robins’ hot seat and was at the helm when the club should have been relegated when they stayed up on a technicality.
But he had assembled a squad which had a few gems in it and had won three on the trot prior to Hughes’ arrival.
It could be said Hughes took those gems, and shined them, shaved off the edges and turned them into a top side.
One thing as the Robins boss that Hughes has had to do a number of times during his Robins tenure is to build squads and re-build squads.
There are always going to be mainstays, club stalwart Craig Williams being one in particular.
However Newtown are a club with limited resources, but a club that does very well, extremely well with the funds they have.
Although that leaves them open to clubs coming in and prising away their top assets. Jason Oswell and Shane Sutton have gone in previous years, Callum Roberts last year.
So it is a constant battle to keep the club’s squad topped up with talent.
“We’ve had to put squads together, put them back together.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but we have recruited well when we have had to and kept putting together teams having lost players.
“We have a great relationship with the board and everyone at the club and work hard to continue to be competitive.”
The record and change on the pitch are there for all to see from the outside looking it, there’s no question about that.
One more European campaign and the cash flow that would have injected into the club and we may have been talking about a top three challenger here.
But off the pitch is where things have also changed massively. A 3G pitch has allowed that to happen, but intense training, work behind the scenes and things like players having their own fitness plans in pre-season underline the professional nature of the operation that Hughes and his closest allies such as assistant Callum McKenzie brought to the club.
Another element he is proud of about the club that has transformed in recent years is the academy.
“I think the ethos of the club has really changed, the 3G helped and everything has benefited the academy.
“The way the academy has come on in the last 18 months with Craig (Williams) in charge has been great, the under 19s are looking good, the 12s and 15s have also professed.
“Things have changed on that front and I am pleased to say I’ve had a part in that.”
The longevity of managers is something that is hotly debated around the world of football these days with the lifespans of managers nothing compared to what they used to be.
Clubs want results, it is a results business. The Cymru Premier is slightly different, but Hughes is one of the longest-serving managers in the division, for a club who have had just seven managers since 1992.
The success he has had may beg the question in the mind of the average fan ‘how has he not been prised away.’
According to the man himself, he will never say never, but he insists he hasn’t had offers to go anywhere else.
“Being part-time brings its own difficulties in this job. I would never say never about going higher, but at the moment the job I have is the most important thing.
“I think I read the other day the average lifespan of a manager is 13 months, so I am proud that my first job has lasted this long, it shows we have done something right.
“In football, you can never say never, but I’ve never had that offer.
“I’m still hungry here at Newtown and I want to carry on making this club as good as it can be.”
So don’t worry Robins fans, Hughes will be at the wheel for a while longer.
Here are five moments that defined Hughes’ time in charge.
1 – Signing Jason Oswell
In Hughes’ first summer in charge of the Robins, he made a number of acquisitions that would go on to play a key part in the success of his side in the coming years. One of those was Jason Oswell, a striker who had high hopes as a young boy at Crewe, but who had failed kick on with spells at Airbus, Rhyl and in Australia. Oswell went on to net 50 times for Newtown, almost a goal every two games.
In truth, the striker, not the most natural finisher, could have bagged a hatful more which shows how much of an impact he had on Newtown. He scored in important games, such as both legs in the Europa League win over Valletta in 2015, underlining how much of a key player he has been in the Hughes era. His talent was shown by the fact he swapped Newtown for Stockport, then Morecambe and now Wrexham.
2 – Beating Port Talbot in the Europa League playoff
At this time Port Talbot were a big side, having been tipped to push TNS and having already made a semi-final. Newtown were underdogs, the tag that they still to this day don’t seem to be able to break the from, although it does suit them.
The sides were all square after 120 long minutes at the Sand Siro, but a classic Hughes/Newtown counter-attack was sprung and Luke Boundford slammed a header home. Had they lost that match they may not have gone on to enjoy the success they have done in the years that followed.
3 – Beating Valletta over two legs
Quite plainly, Newtown should not have won this. Although they did go into the game as bookies favourites, as the Maltese giants had issues with registrations of players that threatened their squad. Newtown turned up for the occasion and in true Hughes fashion produced against the big boys.
After being pegged back following Boundford’s opener, Oswell struck late on to cap one of the truly historic nights in the history of the famous old club.
4- Copenhagen standing ovation
Not many sides go to FC Copenhagen, the giants of Danish football and get a result. Not many semi-pro sides go there and get a standing ovation, but Newtown were one of them. Probably the smallest side in terms of size and resources that Copenhagen have ever faced in a European competition.
The Robins lost 2-0 on the night in front of a half-empty Telia Parken, but the noise that was made by the home faithful was immense. And after the final whistle when the players were due to leave the field, the Copenhagen fans stayed in and gave Hughes and his players a standing ovation. No words are really needed to describe the magnitude of that, it speaks for itself.
5- Being the thorn in TNS’ side
This is maybe a slight exaggeration. They haven’t been the Saints bogey sides to the point of spoiling their run of titles. And TNS have handed out some hefty beat downs to Hughes’ side over the years. But you’ll struggle to find a side that has obstructed, frustrated and beaten the Saints as much as Hughes and Newtown have over the years.
In their first encounter, Sean Evans’ volley secured the points in 2013. They brought the Saints’ long-running home run to an abrupt end with two Matty Owen strikes at the Venue, before Jamie Price’s late free-kick earned a point in a 3-3 draw and ended their winning run that stemmed more than 20 games.
And the most recent victory saw the Robins come from 2-0 down at Park Hall to win 4-2 in a quite amazing result. They’re not challenging the Saints at the top, but when the two go toe to toe under Hughes it is normally anybody’s game.
(Featured Image: Mike Sheridan)
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