‘A little can go a long way and the sheer volume of people who donated have helped me to be happy again’
Faced with the unthinkable prospect of having to call time on his football career aged just 16, Josh Hughes and his family knew they needed to act - and fast.
But what followed surpassed the wildest dreams of the Moneyfields under-18 player and those closest to him as the generosity of the wider football family - quite literally - helped get him back on his feet.
It was August 2020 when Farlington-based Hughes suffered one of the worst injuries in football after rupturing his right anterior cruciate ligament following an innocuous fall during an in-house friendly while playing for Wessex League side Infinity.
Initially misdiagnosed as a sprain and then loose cartilage, it wasn't until some weeks later he was dealt the devastating news of a ruptured ACL and partial medial meniscus tear in his right knee.
Coming to terms with that as a teenager would have been tough enough at the best of times, but to then learn of a possible two or three year career-ending wait to undergo surgery dealt a further hammer blow.
So, with the serious risk of never being able to play again at the forefront of his mind, Hughes and his family launched a fundraising appeal in a bid to raise some cash towards the hefty £8,100 sum required in order to undergo surgery privately.
Donations came far and from wide - including pledges received from Leeds United and Millwall fans - along with Pompey players and staff past and present, as well as Blues owner Michael Eisner's son Eric, with £5,980 of the initial £8,000 start-up target raised.
And now, after completing 90 minutes for the Pompey in the Community College team he represents and Moneyfields under-18s in the past couple of weeks, 17-year-old Hughes wants to thank those who have helped him.
‘A little can go a long way and the sheer volume of people who donated have helped me to be happy again within football and in life as well. I really, really appreciate everyone who did donate,’ he told The News.
‘I just couldn’t believe it (the donations), it was almost emotional I suppose at some points, to be what is your life for 16 years of just non-stop football - nearly everyday for all of that 16 years - to be told you’ll never be able to do that again was quite hard.
‘Then, for people to give me the opportunity again, has just meant a lot.
‘There were just random people on Twitter who put in about 50 quid which could be a fair chunk of their weekly wage. Any donation, big or small, they’ve gone out of their way to put it in which has meant quite a lot.
‘Originally we thought we’d get a few hundred quid and we’d try to do a lot of things to get the money together.
‘It was just so overwhelming, I just couldn’t believe the support.
Pompey defender Sean Raggett donated, as did Ben Close and Cameron McGeehan – both at PO4 at the time – and Millwall's former Fratton favourite Jed
Wallace.
The generosity extended to boardroom level with then-chief executive Mark Catlin, his son James and family providing funds, as did Eric Eisner.
And Hughes, who underwent his successful operation at Southampton’s Spire Hospital in November 2020, revealed Mark Catlin has remained in contact with his father,
Anthony, wanting updates on his son's progress while Josh still exchanges messages with McGeehan - now in the Belgium top-flight with KV Oostende.
‘There was a lot of really big support. Sean Raggett was the first to donate and he put in a fair bit,’ the teenager revealed.
‘Mark Catlin and his wife donated - he’s been emailing my dad throughout the whole time. His son, James Catlin, he’s always messaged me, just checking if I’m okay.
‘Cameron McGeehan phones me to see how I am and
There were just random people on Twitter who put in about 50 quid ... it was just overwhelming Josh Hughes
he constantly texts me still to this day to see how I am.
‘Ben Close is probably the main one because I know his dad (Moneys under-18 manager Malcolm) and brother quite well - I’ve played with his brother (Harry) for a few years.
‘The club (Pompey) have been really helpful with it, the same with Moneyfields with everything as well.’
It was more than six months after his operation before Hughes could even resume light contact training.
Now the former Springfield School student is hoping to join the Army as a royal engineer when his college studies are completed - and representing the Armed Forces team moving forward.
‘I’d say probably actually sticking around football (helped him get through). I was always watching it or I was doing some sort of coaching with my little brother’s team,’ Hughes added.
‘I was just helping out and when I could start moving I would start refereeing their games.
‘I still do refereeing and coach because it’s good to be involved in stuff with the younger players.
‘My brother Noah’s team helped me out a lot with donating so they were really good.
‘I just thought I had to stick around football, if I wasn’t developing technically, I’d try to develop the football brain a bit more.
‘In the middle of next year I’m planning on joining the Army as a Royal Engineer and hopefully I can play quite a high level in the army.
‘My uncle is a royal engineer, he’s always someone I’ve looked up to, and he helped me through my knee injury and stuff.’
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