Hughes, who oversaw a competent 2-0 triumph in the Faroe Islands in the UEFA Cup first qualifying round first leg and a near-perfect start to his tenure, was delighted with the quality shown by new-boy Jo and winger Petrov.

Petrov scored the opener with Dietmar Hamann netting the second that made the second leg at Barnsley on 31st July little more than a formality.

big asset 

Hughes said of £19million new signing Jo and Petrov: "They have the sort of quality that can really unlock defences. We created good chances and I was pleased with Jo's performance.

"He showed great awareness of players around him and once he gets to know the players and the way we want to play he will be a big asset to us.

"Petrov was excellent, certainly in the first half. The opposition found it difficult to cope with the quality he has. He put a lot of dangerous crosses into the box and with luck we could have converted more.

"But overall his performance was excellent. When you have someone like that with the technical ability to affect the game positively like that, it gives you a lot more options."