AARON HUGHES may have starred on the Champions League stage but the Newcastle United defender still dreams of winning the FA Cup.

The Northern Ireland international has played at many of Europe's biggest venues and has helped his club side back into the top four of the Premiership.

But Hughes admits that he would love nothing more than to call himself an FA Cup winner come May - not only to boost his own trophy cabinet but for the fanatical Tyneside fans.

Newcastle tasted defeat in two finals - against Arsenal in 1998 and Manchester United in 1999 - and in 2000 Chelsea inflicted more woe in a semi-final at Wembley.

And Hughes, who will play in the third round at First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers tomorrow, is desperate to go down in Geordie folklore as a winner.

He said: "I'm not ruling us out of winning anything but realistically we have got to be looking at the cups. It would be nice for everyone to win the FA Cup and I include the fans in that.

"It would be great for the fans, the city, everyone. If you win something up here you go down in history.

"For the past four, five or six years Newcastle have been so close to winning things. And that is what we are still aiming to do."

Hughes' first full recollection of the FA Cup is when Liverpool overcame Merseyside rivals Everton 3-1 in the 1986 final.

That day heralded the start of Hughes' love for football and he believes winning the prestigious trophy would be perfect.

"I think the FA Cup just has something about it," said Hughes. "When I was younger I used to play knockout as if it was the FA Cup with my mates.

"It's massive and I don't think anyone would say anything bad against the FA Cup.

"It is also probably the best chance we have this season of picking up silverware.

"We have been close two or three times so it would be nice to go all the way and finally get it.

"It's not an easy draw going to Wolves. We have to go there and gain a positive result and hopefully the draw will be kind to us the rest of the way through.

"We have some disappointing memories because even the Chelsea game was like a final because it was at Wembley."

Newcastle have won just four times on their travels this season, so a trip to Molineux will be a tough proposition.

But Hughes insists the Magpies are not about to change their attacking ways when they take to the field outside St. James' Park.

The versatile defender, 23, said: "We play away from home like we do at home and we are not going to change that. That's why we score so many goals away because we just go for it.

"We know we have to improve our away form because if we can do that we will definitely finish in the top four this season.

"The lads who come in know their jobs so I wouldn't say chopping and changing has a bad effect on us."

He added: "There's no complacency just because we are playing a First Division side and I think we know what we are going to be up against.

"You also have to remember that the FA Cup is totally different from the League. There's no question they will be up for it. They have home advantage, their crowd will be egging them on and they will try to unsettle us early on."