PURE SWANSEA: ‘I don’t get many’ — Hughes on a rare goal and ten years at the club

Jordan Hughes has been at Pure Swansea long enough to remember when it was something else entirely.

The captain is into his tenth season with the club, through its years as Swansea University, the loss of its funding, the takeover, the rebrand and the promotion, and he has rarely enjoyed a week like the one just gone.

His header opened the scoring in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Llanelli Town, he was named man of the match, and his manager broke the habit of a lifetime to praise him publicly.

Hughes is realistic about the goal itself.

“I wouldn’t say it was a dodgy goal for myself, but it wasn’t that clean. It was a good game for me,” he told Swansea Bay News.

“I don’t get many, to be fair. I think I’ve scored about four or five in the last six seasons.”

Three games have brought three wins, nine goals and no goals conceded, and the captain traces the run back further than the opening day.

“We had a good run of games towards the end of last year. I can’t remember the exact amount of games we won in a row, but we had one loss in 12 or 13 games, something like that, and we’ve carried that into this season,” he said.

“If you said to me at the beginning of the season we’d win our first three games, 3-0, I’d have bitten your hand off. We’ve started well. I think we can kick on now for the rest of the season.”

‘They’ve all been like mates’

Much of the squad that won the Ardal South West title has stayed together, and the new arrivals were not strangers.

“The core of the team from last year has stayed the same, and then all the boys who have joined, they’ve all been like mates. We’ve all known each other before,” Hughes said.

“Noah Osbourne was with us before, and then a few of the other boys we’ve all played with before. Them coming in quickly and integrating within pre-season, within the month and a half, has been quite good.

“It is a big thing for us in terms of if games are tough, if we haven’t got much of the ball, the boys do dig in for each other, so I think it is a big part of the club really.”

What has not changed across a decade and three different names is how the team wants to play.

“Even before Jack [Midwinter], with Jon [Beale], and then even before that when I was at the uni with Daf [Dafydd Evans], every time I’ve played over the last ten seasons it’s always been about playing football, being expansive,” he said.

“I think that’s been part of the reason why I’ve been here for so long, in terms of the culture within this club, is that we want to play football.

“We don’t want to be really defensive or whatever. When you need to, you need to do that, but we want to play football. I want to get the ball down on the floor with all the boys. I think that’s the best way to play, so it makes it more enjoyable for me as well.”

Leading a young squad

At 27, Hughes is among the oldest in a squad averaging 23, and he is reluctant to take much credit for how it is led.

“I think a lot of the boys have become leaders. Obviously last year we were transitioning from going from the university to Pure, and it was a bit like, okay, who’s coming in, who’s going to be the leaders, but quite quickly everyone just did their bit,” he said.

“The boys all cover different areas, and even though we are a young team, a lot of the boys do step up and do speak when they need to. There aren’t specific people. Most boys do their bit when they need to.”

‘It’s only three games in’

Pure sit top of the Novira Cymru South, but the captain has been around long enough to know how little that means in August.

“After the start we have had, I think it’s important not to get too excited, really. It’s only three games in,” Hughes said.

“This time last year we lost two of our first three games, so it was a bit of a gloomy start, and if you had said by the end of the season we’d finish top with 70 points, we would have bitten your hand off. Things can change quite quickly in the league.

“Hopefully we finish top half at least.”

There is more experience of this division in the dressing room than the average age suggests.

“A lot of the boys who are in the team now have all played in the Cymru South to a certain extent. Obviously Danny Williams and Brad Gibbings have been there before, so we have got experience in the league, and we kind of know what we’re getting into,” he said.

“The boys are competitive. They know what they need to do.”

Pure travel to Caerau Ely on Friday night, kick-off 7.45pm at Cwrt yr Ala Road.