McHugh much happier with no pressure of armband
CARL McHugh believes that giving up the Fir Park captaincy has freed him up to show the best form of his Motherwell career.
The versatile Irishman, who has played in both central defence and midfield for the Steelmen this season, feels that the weight of responsibility that came with wearing the armband affected his consistency last season.
Now that responsibility has passed to his team-mate Peter Hartley, McHugh feels that he has been able to contribute more effectively on the park for his team.
“I’m happier with my play,” McHugh said. “I’ve been performing consistently better over the course of this season.
“We spoke about it at the time and the decision was made, and I’ve been really happy with how it has gone.
“It’s been a smooth transition and Peter has been brilliant with it. He’s a great leader for the team and I’m there to help him with whatever he needs.
“It’s not changed anything in the dressing room, it’s improved us if anything.
“It lets me concentrate on my own game. That was something I was wary of last year, because even though the team was successful, my level of consistency wasn’t where I wanted it to be.
“Now I think that has improved this year from a personal point of view.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s weird to say that because we haven’t been getting the results, but I’ve been enjoying my football and I’m probably a lot happier with my form than I was at this point last season.”
That’s not to say that McHugh arrived at his decision to relinquish the captaincy lightly.
The 25-year-old agonised over the call during the summer, and ironically, sought the guidance of close friend Hartley before approaching his manager, Stephen Robinson.
“[Peter] was the first person I spoke to about it actually, we’ve know each other for years,” he said.
“We played together at Plymouth and we’ve been really close friends.
“I know he is someone I can trust in football. I completely trusted him to confide in him right at the start.
“It was difficult, but I felt it was the right time.