Despite earning a recall on Monday, Darlington's Chris Hughes admits he's playing for his long-term future at the club.

Hughes was one of six changes to the line-up at Bristol Rovers and made an instant impression, setting-up Craig Russell's goal after just 55 seconds.

But this, Hughes' second season as a professional, has not been as successful as the last when he made 26 starts and scored twice.

After recovering from a medial ligament injury suffered in training almost six week ago Hughes' appearance at Rovers was his first since October and only his third league start of the season.

But now, with his contract up at the end of the season, Hughes hopes to stay in the first-team picture for a while yet.

He made his comeback in last week's reserve win over Boston against whom younger brother, Craig, scored the only goal and Hughes said: "We're all playing for a contract so I need to be in the team to show that I deserve a contract.

"This season I've been disappointed with how I've done. Maybe I've been unlucky not to have taken my chances when they've come along.

"We've got a big squad so you know that if you get a chance in the team you've got to take it otherwise there'll be someone else waiting to take your place.

"I enjoyed the reserve game last week, I felt fine, felt as though I played quite well but the difference between a reserve game and a first team game is massive.

"Especially Monday's game which was very fast and lively."

"I did okay, I got a bit tired and my timing wasn't right because I didn't win as many header as I should've done," he added.

"I got cramp in both legs and had to go off for a couple of minutes, but we'd used all our subs so I had to stay on.

"But I did as much as I could and hopefully I did enough to stay in the team for next week."

As a lifelong Sunderland fan Hughes was especially pleased to have set up Russell's goal, the former Black Cats striker's long-awaited first of the season.

"It gave me loads of confidence for the rest of the game," admitted Hughes who celebrated his 21st birthday earlier this month.

"Russ flicked it on to me, I pulled it back to him and he took his goal. I'm absolutely chuffed to bits for him that he got his first goal," said Hughes who was a regular on the Roker Park terraces when Russell was a regular scorer in Sunderland's First Divison title-winning campaign of 1995/96.

* Craig Liddle's knee operation went successfully yesterday though it is expected to sideline the defender for the rest of the season, while Stephen Thomas is expected to feature in today's reserve game at Scunthorpe after recovering from a thigh injury.

He has been available for the last fortnight while Bobby Petta is scheduled to return to training tomorrow after a hamstring strain