Robert McHugh (born 16 July 1991) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Pollok. McHugh has previously played for Motherwell, Falkirk, Greenock Morton and Queen's Park, as well as loan spells with Queen of the South, Airdrieonians and East Kilbride.
Career
Motherwell Born in Glasgow, McHugh made his Motherwell debut when he came on as a substitute in a 2–0 win over Hibernian in May 2008.Hibernian 0–2 Motherwell BBC Sport – Retrieved 23 December 2008
McHugh scored his first Motherwell goal when he took the field as a substitute in an 8–1 win over Flamurtari in the Europa League second round, scoring Motherwell's eighth goal in that match."Motherwell 8–1 Flamurtari (8–2)" BBC Sport website (23 July 2009) He also scored the first goal as Motherwell beat Inverness CT 3–2 after extra time in the third round of the 2009–10 League Cup.
On 21 January 2011, McHugh joined First Division side Partick Thistle on loan until 27 March 2011. However, a broken wrist meant the loan would not happen, and so he stayed at the Fir Park club.
On 26 March 2013, McHugh signed a new two-year contract with Motherwell, lasting until summer 2015.
On 2 June 2015, Motherwell announced that McHugh was amongst the players leaving the club, with his contract having expired.
Queen of the South (loan) On 13 January 2014, McHugh signed a six-month loan with Dumfries club Queen of the South.
On 3 May 2014, McHugh scored a goal notable amongst supporters of Alloa Athletic by scoring a 95th-minute equaliser for Queen of the South against Cowdenbeath. McHugh's goal sent Cowdenbeath into the relegation play-offs and secured Alloa's place in the Championship.
His scoring form continued into the Scottish Premiership play-offs as he scored both goals in the 2–1 quarter-final first leg home win against Falkirk on 6 May 2014. Four days later he scored in the return leg as Queen of the South were knocked out 4–3 on aggregate after a 3–1 defeat.
Airdrieonians (loan) On 31 March 2015, McHugh signed for Scottish League One club Airdrieonians on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season. He made his debut on 4 April 2015, in a 2–0 win away to Stirling Albion.
Falkirk On 14 July 2015, McHugh signed for Falkirk, agreeing a two-year contract having played as a trialist for the club in friendlies against Drogheda United and Athlone Town, scoring twice in both matches. After his contract ended in May 2017, McHugh was released by the club.
Morton McHugh subsequently signed a two-year contract with Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton on 2 June 2017. On 10 August 2019, he scored his first career hat-trick in Morton's 4–1 win at home against Alloa Athletic.
Queen's Park After a third successful season at Cappielow, McHugh joined the newly professional Queen's Park in June 2020.
East Kilbride After two seasons with Queen's Park, McHugh dropped out of the SPFL and signed with East Kilbride in June 2022, ending his solitary season at K-Park with twenty goals and a Lowland League Cup winners medal.
St Cadoc's McHugh signed for newly-promoted West of Scotland Premier Division side St Cadoc's in May 2023. He re-signed for a second season and was the club's top goal scorer in 2024-25, before leaving upon the expiration of his contract.
Pollok McHugh's next move saw him staying in the same league as he moved to Pollok in July 2025. His first goal was a last-minute winner away to Rutherglen Glencairn in the league, and he went on to score 22 goals in all competitions, ending the season with a hat-trick against former side St Cadoc's as Pollok secured promotion to the new Lowland League West. He renewed his contract that summer, committing himself to the Lok for their first season in Tier 5, and started the season with two hat-tricks against Livingston United and Civil Service Strollers in the Scottish Communities and South Challenge Cups respectively.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Season League Scottish Cup League Cup Other Total Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GoalsMotherwell2007–08Scottish Premier League10000000102008–0920000000202009–1010000213Appearances in the Europa League11522010–111102010301702011–12911020001212012–1325310003One appearance in the Champions League and two in the Europa League02932013–14Scottish Premiership811021101222014–154000000040Total7055072101928Queen of the South (loan)2013–14Scottish Championship13100002Appearances in the Premiership play-offs3154Airdrieonians (loan)2014–15Scottish League One5400000054Falkirk2015–16Scottish Championship22610216Two appearances and a goal in the Scottish Challenge Cup; four appearances and two goals in the Premiership play-offs331102016–1733310414Two appearances and two goals in the Scottish Challenge Cup; two appearances in the Premiership play-offs2426Total55920621057316Greenock Morton2017–18Scottish Championship32431431Appearance in the Scottish Challenge Cup04082018–1929632420036102019–202082153002712Total8118841381010330Queen's Park2020–21Scottish League Two186204000246Career total25243174301223931268
References
External links Robert McHugh profile at Motherwell FC official website