Aaron Hughes proud of successful Fulham season and sets sights on improvement

Aaron Hughes of Fulham(Getty Images)

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Fulham central defender Aaron Hughes is proud of the club’s season in the Premier League, but is now looking ahead to even better in the coming campaign.

Hughes feels that the Cottagers could have finished even higher than their eventual eighth place had their early-season results reflected their performances more accurately.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Hughes said: “It was a good season for us all, I think.

“If we’re talking about consistency, then that applies for the whole team really. Okay, there were a few blips and disappointing performances, but on the whole I believe we played well throughout.

“At times those performances probably weren’t reflected in the outcome of our results, particularly in the first half of the season when we were drawing a lot of games.

“But if you look back on the second half then I think it was clear to see – we turned a corner so to speak and managed to finish the season strongly.”

Hughes pointed to the illustrious company in which the side found themselves at the end of the year as evidence of their success.

“If you look at the teams that finished above us, then we were certainly in good company. I don’t think anyone was too surprised to see Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal qualify for the Champions League, while the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton are expected to be up there.

“It was probably one of the most competitive Premier League seasons too, and we shouldn’t forget that.”

A fan favourite at Craven Cottage since his £1 million move from Aston Villa in 2007, the current Northern Ireland captain points to his partnership with the Norwegian Brede Hangeland as a factor in his success.

“I’ve said in the past what a great player Brede is and for whatever reason we work very well together.

We’ve played alongside each other for a while now, so I like to think that we know each others’ game and strengths. He’s done very well since he came in a few years back, and from day one he’s looked at home. He’s someone that you’d want on your team rather than coming up against!”

Hughes is now turning his attention to the upcoming Europa League qualifying matches under new manager Martin Jol.

“I’m looking forward to getting out there and testing ourselves against teams from the continent. It will be interesting to see where those early rounds can take us because it is very much a case of the unknown really.

“But that’s exciting, and as we did last time, we will give it our best shot. It’s difficult to predict how well we will do, but it goes without saying that we are hoping to do well and go far. I’m not sure how many people would have predicted a second attempt in three years, but that’s how far this club has now come.”

Fulham unexpectedly reached the final of the competition in 2010 under then-manager Roy Hodgson.