Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:32 am
The Preston player with some extra motivation today
Former Cardiff City academy player Andrew Hughes is fired up by the prospect of denting the Bluebirds' play-off hopes with Preston this weekend.
The Lilywhites left back was born and raised in the Welsh capital and joined the club's junior pathway at seven years old, progressing through the ranks then as a left winger.
But at 15, after six years with the club, his dream of playing for his boyhood team was cut short when he was released, eventually moving to Newport County where he spent eight seasons and made more than 150 appearances.
After two seasons at Peterborough he headed up north to Deepdale, where he has become a mainstay for Alex Neil on the left-hand side of defence.
His job this weekend will be to stop the likes of Albert Adomah, Junior Hoilett and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, all of whom were rampant for the Bluebirds in the 2-0 win over title contenders Leeds United last weekend.
It's a hugely-important clash for both sides, with Preston sitting in the top six only on goal difference above their opponents Cardiff City this weekend.
But if that wasn't motivation enough for Hughes, the stark memory of being cut by the Bluebirds 13 years ago serves only to fuel further his desire to beat them this weekend.