Seven Stitches and Crazy Days - An Interview with Russ Hughes.

Whenever there are discussions about the best goalkeepers to have played for Caernarfon Town, Russ Hughes is always a prominent future of those debates. John King brought Russ to the Oval in 1986 and he stayed until the 1990/91 season, during which time he firmly established himself as not only one of, if not the, best keeper in our history but also one of the best in non-league football. Russ is still an avid supporter of the club and regularly attends matches at the Oval and I am very pleased to say that I managed to meet him for the first time last January, at our Welsh Cup tie with Rhyl. I am every bit as pleased to say that we have kept in touch since then and have got together with Russ to carry out an exclusive interview for the blog.

So, here we are, an interview with a real legend of the club….

OW: Please tell us about your career in football, from your schooldays onwards.

Russ: “I started out playing football locally in Wallasey for a team called Olympic and played for them up until I was eleven or twelve years of age. Then a spell with Prenton Park Rovers and Tranmere Rovers A and B teams before signing for Tranmere Rovers full time at seventeen. I was there until  until I was twenty one and dropped down to amateur level playing at Vauxhall FC in the West Cheshire League first division. I then signed semi-pro for South Liverpool in the Northern Premier League and returned to Vauxhalls. I joined Caernarfon Town in 1986 and stayed there until 1990-91 before moving on to Stalybridge Celtic in the HFS Loans League/Football Conference for five years, then returned again to Vauxhalls and finished my career with a season at Northwich Victoria.”

OW: Have you always been a goalkeeper Russ or did you play in other positions as well?

Russ: “No, I started playing anywhere down the left being a natural left footer...wing, midfield, fullback, until the age of ten. I reverted to keeper because the goalie we had in the school team was far too small and was causing us to lose games and I just thought I could do better in that position.”

OW: Which team do you support and who is your favourite player?

Russ: “When I was a youth my favourite player was Pele, in fact that whole early seventies team were my heroes. My favourite goalkeeper has always been Gordon Banks. That save, from my other hero's goal-bound header.....incredible! I've supported Everton from an early age but follow Tranmere and Caernarfon closely too.”

OW: Who were the biggest influences on your footballing career?

Russ: “John King certainly influenced my career in many ways and Gordon West, my goalkeeper development coach at Tranmere, influenced the way I played.”

OW: How did your move to Caernarfon Town come about?

Russ: “I was playing at Vauxhalls FC at the time. I got a call from John King to ask if I was available to cover for Neil McAdam who'd suffered a knee injury and that it was for Caernarfon Town. I said I could and JK asked me to meet him for a goalkeeping training session in Birkenhead Park the next afternoon. He was happy with what he saw and told me to be ready to play the following night. I played over two hundred and fifty games during my time at Caernarfon and have been told recently that I may top the list of most games played for the club, but I’m not sure if that is true or not.

OW: Did you know any of the players when you arrived at Caernarfon?

Ray: “Obviously, as I've said earlier, I knew JK well and also Steve Craven who was at Tranmere when I was there. Phil Wilson would pop into Tranmere's physio room for treatment too so I knew of him.”

OW: What did you know of Caernarfon Town before you joined?

Russ: “I knew of the club and that JK was there. When I watched a game at South Liverpool, who i'd just signed for that day, it was versus Caernarfon.”

OW: Can you remember your first match for the Cofis?

Russ: “My first match was at short notice against Chorley away, a mid-week fixture under floodlights. If I remember correctly I had a steady game but we lost 1-0. I was beaten by a fierce shot that flew through a crowded box into the top corner off the underside of the bar. Even though we lost that game, I saw straight away that the team had potential. All JK's teams like to play the passing game and that was evident from my first match.”

OW: What do you recall of the qualifying rounds that got the team to the first round proper of the FA Cup in 1986/87?

Russ: “I recall playing lots of games in the run up to the first round proper, many of them replays. One sticks in my mind, I think it was away at Eastwood. There was a big hostile home crowd expecting an easy win and when they found their team on the losing side they were not happy at all!! We played really well. I made a save late on that would have levelled the tie, when we were 2-1 up. I went behind the goal to retrieve the ball and one of the crowd threw a handful of gravel from the terraces into my face. The karma moment was when I kicked the goal kick up field and we proceeded to score again, killing their chances of progressing. Walking off, another member of their fans spat in my face as I went down the tunnel?? Crazy day that was!”

OW: As the side progressed through the rounds, did you feel that something special was happening?

Russ: “JK's philosophy was never to look too far ahead. A won cup game would be "put in the cupboard" so to not distract from the league games and opened up when the time comes. Personally I felt we could do something special after the first round game against Stockport County. That game proved to me that although professional teams are a bit fitter the football played is the same. If we defended well, with the front line we had, we were always going to be in with a chance. The town of Caernarfon was suddenly on the map again and cameras from all channels wanted to record what was happening!”

OW: What do you remember of the three FA Cup matches against football league opposition?

Russ: “The Stockport game was tight with very few chances on either side. The back four was solid, and our midfield busy closing down, in the end I felt they just committed too many players forward in their push to get a goal. We broke out of defence one time in the second half and sent Austin Salmon into the channel to score. I didn't really feel any pressure in that game, even though we defended for most of it.

The York game at home was again very tight and cagey but this time we had a bigger crowd that gave a buzz of excitement around the Oval. Both sides defended well and neither side really got the upper hand, having the odd chance here and there. After the final whistle you could feel the atmosphere around the club had changed, the town itself had an upbeat feel to it. The replay a few days later was an immense occasion for Caernarfon Town. I remember well turning into York's ground and a hundred or so York fans ridiculing the old team coach we arrived in, bellowing smoke from the exhaust as we came to a stop (it was well past it's use-by date). Ken Jones was our coach driver. Little did we know at that point that we'd be having the last laugh later. The game itself was exciting. Again a bigger crowd, including up to three hundred Caernarfon fans who'd made the trip. They were fantastic and made plenty of noise to keep us going. We had to take quite a bit of pressure for the first part of the half. I came out of goal and plucked a cross off their forwards head and we collided in the air gashing my eyelid which needed stitching, but I was quickly patched up by sponge man Ian Humphreys so I could play on. After that I punted the ball towards Ray Woods, it evaded the fullback and put Ray in down the wing free to cross into the box and bundled over the line by Austin Salmon to make it 1-0. York's fans went silent, our fans went absolutely crazy for the rest of the half. Half time team talk by JK tells us to keep our defensive shape and keep playing our football. Second half much the same, back four at full stretch but holding out, and I had to make a few saves. Then once again we break out, Steve Craven is put through and we score again. From then on we take a barrage of attacks from York, who miss chance after chance before finally getting a goal back, then they missed a couple more. When the whistle went for full time York fans applauded us off the pitch along with our ecstatic group of fans. That moment of going to the fans to applaud their support lives with me to this day. I felt proud of what the club had achieved that night.

The Barnsley games were up another level again. Better players of a higher standard and again bigger crowds. I felt the pressure of expectation for the first time and everyone was expecting another win, literally willing us on. Barnsley were a good team with some seasoned players. We did really well as a unit to keep a clean sheet but never really tested their keeper. The replay was harsh, we played really well but couldn't pinch a goal for our efforts. We eventually conceded the goal that put us out of the competition late on in the second half, scored by Roger Wilde with a powerful header from about the penalty spot that gave me little chance of saving. Our dreams were over until  next time.”

OW: What are your thoughts on that FA Cup side Russ?

Russ: “The FA cup team was made up from players JK was familiar with from Tranmere and Northwich. Players like Ken Jones, Steve Craven, Dave Wignall, Ray Woods, Bobby Tynan, Phil Wilson and myself. Most played at a higher standard than the Northen Premier for many years before joining JK at the Oval. We had three regular welsh players, Huw Williams the tower of strength at centre half and two full backs, Glyn Griffiths (who played the whole campaign with his shin bone metal plated...he delayed the operation to have it removed so he could carry on playing out the season!? What a guy!) and Robyn Jones. And there were a few appearances made by a young Stuart Williams also.”

OW: What type of manager was John King and what made him so special?

Russ: “JK was what they refer to as a players manager, he knew how to get the best out of each player. He loved the passing game, was passionate about football and would infect you with his love for the game. He was very well respected by other managers and connected with a lot of players he could call on when needed. He was very philosophical in his thinking and had many football related sayings that would explain his feeling about the game ahead. He was a student of Bill Shankly no doubt as he a large portrait of him in his office at Prenton Park.”

OW: What made that FA Cup side so special in your eyes Russ?

Russ: “All great teams have a good atmosphere around the dressing room and training ground and the '86 team was no different. Everyone got on really well, so we ended up as a solid unit that would work hard for each other. Back four were really solid. Full backs, Glyn Griffiths, Dave Higgin's and Robyn Jones, all of them pacey and hard tacklers. Centre Backs Huw Williams, Ken Jones and Bobby Tynan, I could write a paragraph for each of them. Very strong and skillful with a ton of experience between them. Midfielders, the Dave's, Martindale and Wignall, box to box players with great passing abilities and free kicks. Wingers, Ray Woods and Phil Wilson, constant headaches for any defender, and fed the strike force of Steve Craven and Austin Salmon. The last six players I mentioned all had a goal in them which gave us many options in attack.”

OW: Were you disappointed that we didn’t draw one of the really big First Division sides in the third round?

Russ: “I wasn't disappointed because I personally felt that we had more chance to progress with the lower league teams than a big team. Barnsley to me was a good draw from the hat. Yeah a big club would have been good, but I preferred to keep my feet firmly on the ground at the time.”

OW: What are your memories from your time at the club?

Russ: “I have lots of memories and constant reminders too. I remember how packed the Oval was for the Barnsley game, inside and out, with some onlookers on roof tops. The rivalry with Bangor City, they were always hard fought matches that sometimes got out of hand. Having the legend Tommy Smith as my manager, he was a really nice guy that was nothing like his media image. Getting to the semi-final of the Welsh Cup against Cardiff City and getting to play against Alan Curtis. Being asked by Dai Davies if I was eligible to be cover goalkeeper for the Welsh national side (Sadly I wasn't). Saving a penalty from Frank Worthington who was player/manager against us at the time when the score was 2-2. We won with a last minute goal too! Hearing Caernarfon Town mentioned on the ‘Saint & Greavsie Show’. I also remember when it took over three hours from my home to get to the Oval, along the old country roads, through, rather than round, Conway. Lastly I have a scar across my eyelid, with seven stitches, from the York City game I mentioned earlier. People often ask how I got it and I wear it with pride.”

OW: What was the Oval like in the days you played on it?

Russ: “When I played the first season at the Oval it wasn't a good playing surface at all.It was what we would call a leveller, Bumpy in places, boggy in one corner. No matter how good a team was the pitch would flatten the skills level and equal the game a bit. JK insisted that the pitch be worked on, to give the lads a chance to play a passing style at home like we did at away matches on better surfaces. We had to change the way we played a bit at the Oval, be a bit more direct. It did improve gradually through the season but still not a patch on the surface that they have now. It's been good to see the improvements to the whole ground over the years.” 

OW: How often do you get down to the ground Russ?

Russ: “I've been down to see a few games over the last ten years and also played two matches with other former Town players on the Oval. “

The Reunion and thoughts on the present Caernarfon Town side. Russ travelled down to see the present side in action twice last season. The first was for the Welsh Cup tie with Rhyl and then, a few weeks later, he was present for the FA Cup side’s thirty year reunion, and saw us defeat Holywell 6-2. Russ completed a hat-trick of victorious visits to the ground just a month later when he once again kept goal for Caernarfon Town in a legends match. It was good to see that Russ had lost none of his nimble footwork and excellent handling as he kept a clean sheet against the opposition. But really, for those of us lucky enough to have seen him play for us all those years ago, a clean sheet was no surprise at all.  

OW: Did you enjoy the present team's match on the day of the reunion and what do you think of the side that has been put together?

Russ: “I always enjoy travelling down to Caernarfon to catch a game at the Oval and have been following closely what the club has been trying to achieve. You’ve built up a good base with the academy set up and this will most certainly benefit the club for the future. The club has also gathered together a good first team squad of players that want to pass the ball and play a game with the passion that the fans expect. I fully expect them to get the desired promotion to the Premier this season.”

OW: Did any of the players impress you when you saw the side last season?

Russ: “The whole team put on a fine display that day, but generally I have been impressed with players such as Nathan Craig, who has that classic left boot, Darren Thomas, who has lovely dribbling skills and can pick out the decisive pass to set up for others. Strong and solid at the back is Gareth Edwards, who marshals the defence well. Jay Gibbs also stands out as one of those that plays with the passion I spoke of earlier, constantly wants to be on the ball and moves it around the pitch quickly. Jamie Breese has pace and has an eye for goal. It’s all exciting to watch.”

OW: How did you enjoy the reunion with our FA Cup side a few months ago, and how nice was it to meet up with your former team-mates, and also Mr King's family?

Russ: “Yes it was a great evening put on by the club. I was amazed how many made the trip down for the night. I had a good catch up with the lads and was nice to have JK's family present to experience the love Caernarfon Town has for him and what he did for the club.”

OW: Did you enjoy watching the FA Cup video on the night, and did it bring back a few memories for you? 

Russ: “It was great to watch the old footage again. The video captured perfectly the atmosphere around the club and town with all the media attention our results had attracted. As for memories of the games I took part in, they are still as fresh as the day they happened.”

OW: You returned to the ground a few weeks after the reunion to take part in a legends match, how did it feel to be back in goal for Caernarfon Town at the Oval? 

Russ: “I really enjoyed the game and playing with some of my old team mates.... Stu Clinch and Stu Williams, Alan Schuey, it was always going to be fun.”

OW: And how did it feel to keep another clean sheet for the Cofis?

Russ: “I did have a good back four to help me out, but yeah, it’s always good not to concede a goal especially when you're playing in a ‘Legends’ side.”

Huge thanks to Russ for answering all these questions, which just goes to prove that not only was he a great goalkeeper for Caernarfon Town but he is also a great guy and a real ambassador for the club. 

*Thanks to Richard Birch for the photographs of Russ in his playing days with Caernarfon Town.