CONNOR Hughes says manager Paul Carden’s show of faith led to him turning down clubs at a higher level to sign for Warrington Town.

The winger, a summer arrival from Worcester City, has enjoyed a fine start to life at Cantilever Park with three goals and two assists so far this campaign.

His performances for Yellows have earned rave reviews from the touchline and the terraces and Hughes says he is enjoying being able to “express himself.”

The former Oldham man says Carden’s belief in his ability to recover from a serious knee injury made up his mind about joining the club.

“Plenty of clubs from higher up offered me deals, but they weren’t sure about my knee,” he said.

“It was a serious injury and I didn’t kick a ball from New Year’s Day until pre-season.

“I spoke to Cards and I liked what he had to say about the direction he wanted to take the club in.

“He showed faith in me and said I’d be given time to prove my fitness and that was a big factor for me.

“I’m expressing myself on the pitch and I’m getting back to what I know I can do. I’m loving it here so far.”

Due to the impressive start to his Yellows career, Carden has said Hughes may be more of a marked man as rival defenders start to take notice of him.

However, the 24-year-old believes the extra attention will only make him raise his game.

“It’s nothing I’ve not encountered before, you’ve just got to get on with it,” he said.

“Having two men put on you makes you think about things more. You have to come up with new ways of finding space and affecting the game.

“I take it as a compliment really, plus it means creating space for others and I’m fine with that if it helps the team get where we need to be.”

Hughes, whose career has also seen him take in spells with Hyde, Halifax and Bradford Park Avenue, has helped Yellows to second the Evo-Stik Premier Division with four wins and two draws from their first seven games.

They face two more home games this week, with Farsley Celtic visiting on Saturday before Stafford Rangers arrive on Tuesday.

Hughes says the squad are refusing to get carried away with their good start, but feels like things are “clicking into place.”

“Nobody looks at the league table at this stage, but it is nice to be up there and it shows we’ve had a good start,” he said.

“We can’t get carried away though. There’s a very long way to go.

“Everyone has aspirations of playing as high up as they can and we’re going the right way about doing it so far.

“Things seem to be clicking into place for us. We can feel the momentum building.”