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Early signs point to the Hatters' new man becoming a vital squad member

Highlights

New Stockport County defender Sam Hughes has already shown signs of how useful he may be for the club heading into the new season.

The former Leicester City academy product joined the Hatters from Burton Albion this summer on a free transfer, despite reportedly being offered fresh terms by his former team.

The signing came not long after the Hatters had accepted a bid from Bradford City for battling central defender Neill Byrne.

In his first appearance at Edgeley Park, a pre-season game against Stoke City, Hughes showed exactly what he has come to offer his new employers.

A solid introduction to Edgeley Park for Hughes

It was not the 27-year-old's first game for the Hatters, having gained minutes earlier in pre-season, but it was his first time turning out in SK3 as a County player, coming on at half-time for backline mainstay Fraser Horsfall.

Hughes looked every bit the old-school defender that sides so often need, especially a side like County who head into a higher league and are sure to face some tough tests.

Up against some of the Championship outfit's top attacking talent, County's new centre-back showed himself as willing to jump in front of anything for the team and was rarely beaten in the air throughout the half.

He looks able to add some real grit to County's rearguard and can fill a vacant role that may have slipped slightly under the radar.

He can fill a vital need in Stockport County's squad

When recounting the Hatters' fourth-tier title-winning season of 2023/24, Neill Bryne may not be the first name from that squad to spring to fans' minds, but that doesn't diminish the vital role he played.

Though not a first-team regular, Byrne appeared 22 times for County across all competitions, 16 of which were in the league and 10 of those 16 as part of the starting XI, mainly in the latter half of the season towards the all-important run-in.

It was clear, therefore, that when the Irishman moved to Bradford for an undisclosed fee this summer, he would need replacing.

If Hughes is who manager Dave Challinor and director of football Simon Wilson had lined up to fill this gap, then he arrives as a strong solution.

Though appearing in a similar mould to Byrne in playing style, Hughes comes with a higher level of experience and is four years Byrne's junior, so it looks like a smart and relatively inexpensive switch from County.

Hughes will want to fight for a starting spot

While Byrne seemed fairly content playing a supporting role in the squad last term, Hughes is likely to want to mount a case for becoming one of the headline defenders for County this season.

In his four seasons with the Brewers, the defender only topped 40 league appearances once, more often due to injury rather than manager selection. When fit, Hughes tended to play a full 90 minutes.

Horsfall and Ethan Pye struck up a strong defensive partnership for County last campaign, something that will be difficult for Hughes to disrupt if Challinor opts for a back four - as he did against Stoke - but his pedigree suggests Hughes will be up for the challenge.

That County have managed to convince Hughes to enter such a battle rather than stay at the Pirelli Stadium, where his services were believed to still be sought after, is a strong show of the Hatters' intent and the project they are putting in front of potential new recruits.

Regardless of playing time, it seems likely that Hughes will be a key figure for County going into the new season, whether that be in a supporting role, pushing the current cast on to greater performances, or establishing himself as one of the key elements in the Hatters' defensive unit.