Matlock Town’s Gladiators leading the battle charge on and off the pitch

The FA Cup trail took us to the South Kesteven Stadium in the East Midlands this weekend as Matlock Town earned a well-fought 1-0 win over Grantham Town as they secured their passage into the next round of the FA Cup. 

Following a fairly scrappy ninety minutes of action, Paul Phillip’s men hung in durng periods of Grantham pressure to come away with the vital cup win which will put welcomed prize money into the clubs coffers. Whilst it was far from pretty, Matlock will take away positives, least of all the impact of their younger players coming off the bench as the managers inspired substitutions helped them to seal the victory.

Callum Dolan, 20, was Matlock’s hero of the afternoon, clinching the second-half winner following good work from fellow youngster Daniel Greenfield, on loan from Gateshead in the build-up. Another youngster, Jake Hull, 19, on loan from Rotherham United also made his debut for the Derbyshire side. 

Whilst the youngsters deservedly stole the headlines from the game, a more poignant story of Matlock skipper Liam Hughes emerged from the tie. If there was any danger of Matlock’s fledglings getting carried away with themselves in the future weeks or in dealing with the highs and lows of the game, they wouldn’t have to look too much further than the 28-year-old striker for advice. Hughes has quite a compelling story in his battle with mental health.

Currently plying his trade in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, Liam Hughes has an impressive roster of clubs spanning from Cambridge United, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Barrow, Guiseley, Billericay, and Darlington amongst others.

His journey started with Cambridge United at the tender age of fifteen. Away from home and playing football with his mates in the industrial town of Scunthorpe, the absence of opportunity to get into mischief led to seeking his kicks elsewhere. A frequenter of the local bookies, he gambled away his wages needing a bail out at times from parents. 

Unsurprisingly, his first-year scholarship ended up in a bit of a mess, literally. Primed with a brush of white gloss paint to spruce up the digs at the end of the season, Liam had ‘done the whole house in half an hour.’ Following uproar and a £3,000 bill (‘I thought the paint would just wipe off’), Liam spent the next few days cleaning the youth team bus with just a toothbrush as punishment.

Putting the episode behind him and scoring goals, his performances were soon drawing attention. Making his debut in November 2010, he registered his first goal against York City later that season. Having dyed his hair red for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day, he recalled the dye not taking to his mousey brown hair and left him with purple streaks running down his face as he reveled in opening his goals account for the club. 

From that point, his professional career began to take off. Racking up 177 appearances, a goal at Wembley in the 2014 National League Play-off final against Gateshead catapulted him into local folklore. His header helped contribute to ending the U’s nine-year hiatus from the Football League. He also played in the FA Trophy final in the same year as Cambridge was victorious over Gosport Borough.

A plumb home tie in the 3rd round of the FA Cup against Manchester United in January 2015 should have been looked back upon as the fondest memories of his career. Sat watching the draw at home, he recalled his family thinking that ‘he’d lost the plot’ as he ran around the house like a man possessed as United’s number was drawn out of the bag.

The game itself proved to be a bittersweet experience. A full-blooded 17th-minute challenge with Phil Jones provided an almost sliding doors moment in hindsight. Badly damaging his ankle ligaments, the adrenalin had gotten himself to half time. 

Knowing that he was ‘f****’ by the injury, he didn’t want to hear anything about a substitution. Liam was going to have to be dragged off against Manchester United. Heavily strapped, he went back out for the second period. 20 minutes later, his body had given up and he eventually had to make way. Still playing his part in a rousing performance that had earned Cambridge a fairytale replay at Old Trafford, he left the Abbey Stadium that evening on crutches knowing full well it would be a game he would play no part in. The Theatre of Dreams wasn’t going to be the stage for the then 23-year-old to realise his footballing dream. Instead, a more perilous place was awaiting his fate.

A perfect storm of disappointment, unhappy home life, and teenage bereavement sent him into a downwards spiral. The loss of a friend to suicide followed by the mourning of his grandparents had not been processed by his younger self in his teenage years. The dark clouds were circling and this is where the real journey of Liam Hughes begins.

Internal struggles manifested themselves in escapism. Excessive alcohol and drug binges helped to blot the pain but the addiction was gradually worsening. Still functioning and able to mask his situation, Liam drove into training each day often inebriated. The club was initially unaware that there was more to his weight gain than the sustained ankle injury.

Out for months, his return to action should have been a joyous moment. Instead, the U’s comfortable victory over then Champions, Burton Albion meant nothing as he sat numb and preoccupied in the dressing room, wondering when he was going to get his next drink. The dark thoughts worsened, driving into oncoming traffic was given thought and rock bottom was well and truly hit with an attempt on his own life a short time later, washing down 93 Diplofenac pills with a bottle of wine. Recovery was going to be a long road.

“I never wanted to hurt anybody close to me. Taking drugs, alcohol, getting into fights and running away and wanting to kill myself, I didn’t realise the impacts on my family.”

Whilst the club was supportive, a move to Inverness Caledonian Thistle materialised in 2016. The opportunity to have a ‘change of scenery and around people’ was too good to pass up on. Sadly, it only sought to move Liam’s problems to a different part of the world. ‘Buying a five bedroom house and moving my kids and partner wasn’t the best idea in hindsight.’ The spiral continued and still reaching for the bottle at 10 am in the morning, he’d rationalised his coping mechanisms as normal behaviour.

Further moves followed and whilst Hughes was showing no signs of relenting on his lifestyle, incredibly he was still performing on a Saturday afternoon. Despite carrying excess weight, successes were found notably at Barrow (under manager Paul Cox ‘who understood me’) and Billericay, achieving a treble in his time with the Essex club.

Despite his efforts on the pitch, inevitably rock bottom was reached once more in his personal life. Three-day benders of substance misuse caught up with him in the end. There was to be no other choice than a period spent in a rehabilitation facility. In an attempt to conquer his demons and understand himself, it was a significant first step.

Thankfully, Liam’s life has been on the upturn since. Having been clear of recreational drugs use since and going without alcohol for five months before a degree of moderation was brought in, he is in a much better place both on and off the pitch. Whilst he’s acknowledged a few wobbles along the way, a new sense of purpose has put Matlock’s striker on a different and more inspiring path.

Wanting to raise awareness of mental health and sharing his own life experiences, Hughes has set up his own venture; WAND (Wisdom and New Direction) to help others who have suffered, at potential risk or those that have not even considered that it could happen to them.

“Finding yourself in the grips of mental health can happen to the best of us. I know it’s a cliche but if I can just save one life or stop anybody going through what I have been through then it will all have been worth it.”

Whilst he doesn’t claim to be an academic expert in the field by any stretch and is ‘learning all of the time’ he arguably possesses the most powerful tool of all. Liam has got the t-shirt and wears it proudly each day in reaching out to others.

Speaking in schools, colleges and other organisations, he is due to embark on a series of talks with football scholars in academies around the country. With the aims of highlighting the difficulties in a win at all costs industry, he is only too aware in promoting self-care and well being. Liam’s message is a simple one; ‘prepare for all eventualities’.

“It’s great having Liam with us this season, not only in our squad but as our team captain. He’s a very inspirational young man who gives his all. He scores the odd goal too” Bryn Apperley – Matlock Town Chairman

Hughes now finds himself in a humbled position of strength, back enjoying his football on the pitch at Matlock. Wanting to give football another go in the summer, he lost almost three stone to get himself in better shape both physically and mentally. Manager Paul Phillips’ straight talking personality is helping the Gladiator’s No.9 to settle in and with four goals in as many games, Matlock will have everything crossed that he can repay the faith shown in him as the season unfolds.

Liam’s story is a timely reminder that demons can be overcome as his legacy continues to build with WAND and he hopes to make his family proud of those achievements.

In these unprecedented times of difficulty, his journey is one of hope; there are good people out there to lend a hand. What’s a little more poignant, is that sometimes, even those good people can turn out to be footballers.

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