39 goals from 123 matches and was transferred to Southampton for £650,000 in July 1998. Southampton In July 1998, Hughes was signed by Southampton for a fee of £650,000 by manager Dave Jones, as an alternative to injury-plagued David Hirst, who retired within 18 months of Hughes's arrival. The goals failed to flow and Hughes was pushed back into midfield, where his experience helped Southampton maintain their Premier League status. His two goals for Southampton came against Blackburn Rovers, who he was later to join, and a "memorable volley" at home to Newcastle on 15 August 1999. Hughes had disciplinary problems throughout his career, and in his first season at The Dell he received 14 yellow cards, a total which has not been exceeded in the Premier League . Everton When Glenn Hoddle arrived as Southampton's manager in January 2000, Hughes did not fit into his plans and he left for Everton in March 2000. He played 16 times over the course of seven months for Everton, scoring his only goal against Watford. Blackburn Rovers Hughes left Goodison Park on a free transfer for Blackburn Rovers in October 2000, moving outside the top division for the first time in his playing career in 2000–01. He played a key role in getting Blackburn promoted from Division One in 2001. He also lifted the League Cup with Blackburn in February 2002, before finally hanging up his boots in July 2002 a few months short of his 39th birthday. Hughes's final career goal came in a 2–1 Premier League defeat to Leicester City on 30 March 2002. At the time, he was the second oldest player to score in the Premier League, behind Stuart Pearce. More than a decade on he is still ranked as third in this category following goals by Teddy Sheringham, who scored his final Premier League goal in December 2006 at the age of 40. International career Hughes scored just 17 minutes into his Wales debut, scoring the winning goal against England on 2 May 1984. He went on to play 72 times for his country, scoring 16 times. Managerial career Wales Hughes was appointed as head coach of the Wales national team in 1999, while still playing elite club football for a few more seasons. Initially appointed on a temporary basis alongside Neville Southall to replace Bobby Gould, Hughes had soon done enough to earn himself a long-term