After scoring his first ever international goal for Northern Ireland last week, Aaron Hughes made his 400th Barclays Premier League appearance against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.
Whilst the 31-year-old defender admitted reaching the 400 appearance mark was a very proud moment indeed, he revealed that he was unaware of the landmark until only a few days prior to last weekend’s match.
“I didn’t actually realise until somebody reminded me over the last couple of days,” Hughes said after Saturday's draw at the Cottage. “If I think back to the start of my career, if I’d been told I’d make 100 appearances, I’d have been over the moon.
“It’s something I’ll look back on when I finish playing and I’ll be very proud of, but hopefully there’s a few more left in me and I’ll keep going on as long as possible.”
As well as his own personal commitment to maintaining peak physical fitness, Hughes credits Fulham’s Sports Medicine and Exercise Science department with playing an integral role in keeping the players fit and healthy through what is set to be another truly demanding schedule this season.
“You’ve got to take personal responsibility for yourself and how you train and eat,” Hughes explained. “Also the guys behind the scenes at the Club do a lot to look after the players to make sure we’re in top shape on a Saturday.”
Hughes performed at right back for Fulham’s Barclays Premier League opener against Aston Villa last weekend and the Northern Ireland international captain is hoping to build on Saturday's clean sheet against FC Dnipro and Wolves this week.
“I’ve never complained about playing anywhere," remarked Hughes when asked if he minded playing at right back. “If that’s what the Manager’s asks me to do, that’s what I’ll do. At the end of the day it’s a chance to play so I’ll just get on with it.
“We’ll take the point from last weekend and it was important to get a clean sheet against Villa. If we can keep that up at home we’ve always got a good chance of winning games and Saturday’s result is something to build on.
“It’ll be a tough test against FC Dnipro on Thursday night. It’s a tough draw but the incentive is there. We know what the reward is if we can get through and we’ll be confident after keeping a clean sheet against Aston Villa. The important thing is to have a solid first leg at the Cottage.
“You’ve no control over which team you will get in the draw, you’ve just got to prepare properly and as much as you’re aware of the opposition, knowing their strengths and weaknesses, you’ve got to focus on your own game as well.
“We know from our previous experiences in the Europa League that you have to just take it one game at a time. We’ll do the same this time, do our homework and prepare properly for Thursday’s game."
Hughes is certainly not concerned by the prospect of a congested fixture list; in fact the defender clearly relishes the prospect of a return to mid-week European games should Fulham navigate their way past FC Dnipro in the UEFA Europe League Qualifier Play-Off.
“Last season was perhaps a little bit strange because we didn’t have those midweek games," said Hughes. "That’s how it was two years ago when we were in the Europa League. We’re back into it and if it means we can go all the way to the Final, we’ll take that!”
Catch the action live at the Cottage on Thursday night when Fulham face FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the UEFA Europa League Play-Off. Tickets are now on General Sale. |
