Everyone at West Ham United has been left saddened by the passing of former player Roger Hugo at the age of 81.
An inside-forward, Hugo made three first-team appearances for the Hammers, all of them in away First Division fixtures played in March 1964, and scored two goals.
Then aged 21, Hugo netted on his debut in a 2-2 First Division draw with Leicester City at Filbert Street on 18 March, before bagging the winner in a 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns ten days later.
Hugo’s third and final game in Claret and Blue was a 0-3 defeat by Stoke City at the Victoria Ground on Tuesday 31 March 1964.
In all three, he wore the No11 shirt as he deputised for John Sissons, who was away helping England win the UEFA European Under-18 Championship in the Netherlands.
Born in Woking in Surrey in September 1942, Hugo joined the Hammers as a teenager and appeared for the Club’s junior teams before signing his first professional contract in 1960.
However, the presence of first Malcolm Musgrove, then Tony Scott and the emergence of Sissons restricted his first-team opportunities over the following seasons.
Following his three appearances in March 1964, the skilful Hugo celebrated the Club’s maiden FA Cup success two months later.
In May 1965, however, he was transferred to Third Division Watford, for whom he appeared 26 times and scored six goals in the 1965/66 campaign.
With that, Hugo emigrated to South Africa with his wife Terry, where he helped Port Elizabeth City win the National Football League for the first time in 1967.
Off the pitch, Hugo also set up a successful film rental business and he remained in South Africa for the rest of his life and became a skilled golfer, save for trips back to London, where he attended the final game at the Boleyn Ground in May 2016 and met up with former Hammers teammates including Mike Beesley and Roger Cross.
The sincere condolences of everyone at West Ham United are with Roger’s family and friends at this sad time.
