The combative midfielder is the club's second longest-serving player behind only Linvoy Primus and is now in his eighth season at Fratton Park.

After the summer's influx of central-midfielders and a hamstring injury, Hughes has seen his first-team opportunities limited to just one Premier League start this season and two appearances in the Carling Cup.

But Hughes has made a habit of coming from nowhere to regain his place in the ranks. And he believes his chance will come again as the season unfolds.

Hughes said: 'I'm fit and available for selection. We've got a large squad at the moment so it's competitive to try to get into the team.

'This is my eighth season at the club and there have been times when I have been absolutely miles away from a place in the team, but within two days we picked up a few injuries and I was suddenly in the team at the weekend.

'So I would never give up on a starting position here.'

With Michael Brown, Jamie O'Hara, Prince Boateng, Hassan Yebda, Hayden Mullins, Aaron Mokoena and Angelos Basinas all vying for places, Papa Bouba Diop will also come into the equation when he recovers from injury.

Hughes said: 'We've got eight or nine centre-midfielders and it's probably the toughest position to get into the team. It's even hard to get a place on the bench.

'But we are all pulling in the right direction and we all know we have a part to play between now and the end of the season. All we can do is be as fit as we can be and be ready when we get the call.'