William Hugh "Hughie" Russell (10 March 1921 – 10 December 1991) was an English professional footballer.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Hugh Russell | ||
| Date of birth | 10 March 1921[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Redcar, England | ||
| Date of death | 10 December 1991 (aged 70)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Taunton, England | ||
| Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| South Bank | |||
| Bishop Auckland | |||
| Royal Engineers (Barton Stacey) | |||
| 1946–1952 | Gillingham[1] | 187 | (106) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Shortly after World War II Russell joined Gillingham, then a non-league team. He scored 98 goals in just 126 games for the Kent side prior to their return to the Football League in 1950, including a haul of nine goals in a match against Gloucester City in the 1946–47 season, a club record for a single match which stands to this day. Contemporary newspaper reports state that he hit the post late on with a shot which could have given him double figures.[2]
Russell remained at the club after its re-election to the Football League, but could not repeat his non-league scoring feats, registering just 8 goals in over 60 matches. He was forced to retire through injury in 1952 and later served as the club's trainer before leaving football entirely to work as a hotelier. He died in Taunton in 1991.[1]