Cian Hughton

Cian Hughton
Personal information
Full name Cian James Hughton
Date of birth (1989-01-25) 25 January 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth Enfield, England
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
2005–2008 Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2009 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0)
2009–2011 Lincoln City 63 (6)
2012 Birmingham City 0 (0)
International career
2007 Republic of Ireland U18 4 (0)
2007–2008 Republic of Ireland U19 4 (0)
2009–2010 Republic of Ireland U21 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Cian James Hughton (born 25 January 1989) is a former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Lincoln City. A defender, he began his career with Tottenham Hotspur before joining Lincoln City, and was later on the books of Birmingham City. Born in England, he played international football for the Republic of Ireland under-21 team.

Club career

Tottenham Hotspur

Hughton joined Tottenham Hotspur's academy in 2005, and went on to make 15 youth team appearances that season. Established, he played a further 27 games the following season, scoring once and stepping into the reserve set-up, where he appeared on a total of 21 occasions over two seasons.

Lincoln City

On 27 July 2009, Hughton signed a six-month contract with Football League Two club Lincoln City.[1] He made his first-team debut in the 1–0 victory over Barnet on 8 August.[2]

He was given a new 18-month contract following the conclusion of his initial deal,[3] but found first team opportunities hard to come by after Chris Sutton left the club and Steve Tilson took over.[citation needed] In May 2011 he was not offered a new contract after a mass clear out of players following the club's relegation from the Football League.[4]

In June 2011 he joined Vancouver Whitecaps of the MLS for a ten-day trial but failed to earn a contract.[5] He also had trials at lower-league clubs including Bristol Rovers, where he appeared in a 5–1 pre-season win over local side Mangotsfield United,[6] and Milton Keynes Dons, where he scored in a 6–0 friendly victory against Buckingham Town.[7] During the summer off-season of 2011, Hughton travelled to Ireland and agreed a deal with Dundalk, only to be told that budget cuts at the club meant the deal could no longer materialise.[8]

Birmingham City

Having spent several months training with Birmingham City, where his father became manager in June 2011, on 29 February 2012 Hughton signed for the club until the end of the season.[9] He was an unused substitute for the visit to Brighton & Hove Albion, but made no first-team appearances, and was released when his contract expired.[10]

International career

Hughton had numerous calls into the Republic of Ireland under-18 and under-19 squads.[11] He made his under-21 debut as a substitute against Georgia under-21 at Tallaght Stadium on 9 October 2009,[12] and made his first start four days later against Switzerland under-21 at the Waterford Regional Sports Centre.[13]

Personal life

Hughton is the son of former Tottenham Hotspur and Ireland international player, Chris Hughton.[12] His uncle Henry Hughton was also a professional player. Hughton's paternal grandfather was Ghanaian, and his paternal grandmother was Irish.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Lincoln agree deal with Hughton". BBC Sport. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  2. ^ "Lincoln City vs Barnet". Lincoln City F.C. 8 August 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  3. ^ "Cian Hughton signs new contract with Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  4. ^ "Steve Tilson clears out Lincoln City squad". BBC Sport. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  5. ^ "Hassli becomes web sensation after spectacular strike". Vancouver Sun. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
    "Good time for Caps to be seeing Reds". Vancouver Sun. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  6. ^ "Comfortable win". Bristol Rovers F.C. 6 July 2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  7. ^ "Buckingham Town hit for six". Milton Keynes Dons F.C. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  8. ^ Wallace, Keith (13 August 2011). "Audio: Budget cuts: Foster speaks of "frustration"". Dundalk F.C. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Peter pens deal". Birmingham City F.C. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  10. ^ Tattum, Colin (16 May 2012). "Birmingham City secure David Murphy on new deal". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  11. ^ "Cian Hughton profile". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  12. ^ a b Nolan, Sean (3 December 2009). "Sprouting Up: Cian Hughton". eircom SportsHub. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  13. ^ "Late Garvan leveller hampers Switzerland". UEFA. 13 October 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  14. ^ English, Alan (18 June 1988). "My joy at Chris, by Mrs Hughton" (PDF). Limerick Leader. p. 1. Retrieved 8 June 2012.