Page 28 - 360633 LP236168 A Love Supreme 48pp A5 (April 2022)

FOUR
BILLY HUGHES
BY SOBS
My first games as a regular attendee saw a forward line of Hughes, Baker, and Tueart, two charismatic youngsters and a wise old head that still had a twinkle in his eye. All three were exciting, and when Joe Baker returned to Hibs, it was because Dave Watson had pinched his place. Billy Hughes wasn’t a classic, goal- poaching inside forward, but he certainly benefitted from the presence of Big Dave. For nigh on two years the pair were up top for the Lads, and during that time Billy developed into something of a swashbuckling forward, always looking forward and unafraid to try something out of the ordinary in an attempt to get at the opposing goalkeeper.
When Watson moved to defence, Billy was partnered by John Lathan, spent time on his own, and then had one game alongside his big brother, John. An injury in that game ended John’s career, in came Vic Halom, and the rest is history. Billy always played with a swagger, and with the early 70s haircut and the big boards, he was our Georgie Best, Stan Bowles, and Rodney Marsh rolled into one, without the off-field shenanigans that followed those three. He was the first player I’d heard described as “opportunistic” on Shoot, I think it meant slightly unconventional at the time.
In the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough, Billy’s second- half header put us two up against Arsenal, virtually sealing
our victory, and three days later he scored all three
at Roker as we beat Huddersfield. It was he who took the famous laughing bag to the TV interviews before the Cup Final, epitomising our laid-back approach
to things that brought such famous success. During the game he, like his team mates, outmatched their illustrious opponents, and Billy glided across the wet Wembley turf like an Alpine skier as his body-swerves left his marker going the wrong way. Of course, he will be forever remembered as being one of the Lads of ’73, but he continued his form after that.
In November ’74 he had one of his finest games
for us in what became known as the Game of the Season, a 2-3 defeat at Old Trafford. Billy scored both of our goals in three minutes, with the second being a “Scottish finish.” An English player, in my mind, would have ended his run at Alex Stepney by placing the ball carefully past him, low down. Billy just lashed it high into the net, making the goal even more dramatic than it already was. It was probably this performance that won him his solitary Scotland cap
a few weeks later. When he left in ’77, he’d added his now-famous Zapata ‘tache, as if to emphasise that he was a proper star footballer and was an instantly recognisable figure. There were spells at Leicester, Derby, and Carlisle, but none suited Billy as Sunderland had.
In short, Billy was a showman, a one-off, a player for kids to aspire to, and an unpredictable joy to watch.
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