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Jake Howells

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Jake Howells
Howells playing for Luton Town in 2011
Personal information
Full name Jake Thomas Howells[1]
Date of birth (1991-04-18) 18 April 1991 (age 33)[1]
Place of birth St Albans, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender / Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Eastleigh
Number 12
Youth career
Hemel Hempstead Town
Watford
2007–2008 Luton Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2016 Luton Town 273 (29)
2015 → Yeovil Town (loan) 6 (0)
2016– Eastleigh 14 (1)
International career‡
2009–2011 England C 4 (1)
2011–2012 Wales U21 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:42, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:03, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

Jake Thomas Howells (born 18 April 1991) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for National League club Eastleigh. He played for the Wales national under-21 team.

Youth career

Howells was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire.[1] He began his youth career at Hemel Hempstead Town prior to spending time in the youth team at Watford, before signing for rivals Luton Town in July 2007.[3]

Club career

Luton Town

After impressing in the Luton youth team, Howells made his first-team debut as a substitute on the last day of the 2007–08 season in a 1–0 defeat to Huddersfield Town, having turned 17 just three weeks earlier.[4] Soon after, Howells revealed that he had turned down offers to join Premier League clubs Portsmouth and Fulham while in the youth team, and had instead chose to further his career at Luton.[5]

Howells became a regular in the first-team during 2008–09, making his first appearance on 4 October 2008 in a 1–1 draw with Bradford City, coming on as a 37th-minute substitute for Sol Davis.[6] He played a total of 28 league games over the year,[7] primarily used as a left-back and occasionally as a left winger. With the exception of the final, Howells played in every game of Luton's Football League Trophy success,[7] receiving a winner's medal at Wembley Stadium.[8] Howells won the club's Young Player of the Season award following his impressive season,[9] signing his first professional contract with Luton soon after.[10]

Howells scored his first senior goal the next season in a 4–3 away win over Cambridge United on 26 September 2009.[11] Following the departure of Mick Harford and the subsequent arrival of new Luton manager Richard Money, Howells was pushed forward from his regular left-back position onto the left wing, scoring five further goals in the process, including two in a 6–3 victory over Histon.[12] On 25 April 2010, Howells was named as Luton's Young Player of the Season for the second successive season.[13]

On 25 November 2010, it was announced that Howells had signed a new two-year contract with Luton.[14] With an injury to regular left-back Fred Murray in December 2010, Howells reverted to his original position in defence, helping Luton keep six clean sheets during the month of January.[8][15] After another solid season in a number of positions, including central midfield, Howells again received the Young Player of the Season award and, in doing so, became the second Luton player, after Kevin Foley to win the accolade after three consecutive seasons.[16]

The 2011–12 season saw Howells used primarily at left-back due to injuries to other players; he played in that position in the team that lost 2–1 to York City in the Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley Stadium in May 2012.[17] The next month saw him sign a new three-year contract and, with the departure of Keith Keane to Preston North End, Howells became the team's current longest serving player at 21 years of age having made 183 appearances by the end of the season.[18] Moved back into midfield by new Luton manager Paul Buckle in the 2012–13 season, Howells scored his first goal of the campaign within the first 45 seconds of a 4–1 win against Macclesfield Town on 1 September 2012.[19]

Another managerial change saw Buckle replaced by the experienced John Still in February 2013. Howells scored the first goal under Still's reign in a 1–0 away win over Stockport County on 2 March 2013.[20] As under previous managers, Howells continued to be played in a variety of roles, including on the left side of attack and in the hole behind two strikers. During the 2013–14 season, at the age of 22, Howells made his 250th appearance for Luton on 2 November 2013 in a 0–0 draw with Gateshead.[21] He became the club's regular penalty-taker, successfully converting six out of six penalties. Luton won promotion to League Two during the season,[22] with Howells playing in 35 league games.[8]

In July 2014, Howells signed a new two-year contract with Luton.[23] On 17 January 2015, Howells made his 300th appearance for the club at the age of 23 in a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle.[24] He played in 41 games upon Luton's return to the Football League, scoring five goals,[25] with the club ending the 2014–15 season in eighth place.[26]

In the summer of 2015, Howells asked to leave the club.[27] On 15 July 2015, Luton manager John Still confirmed that he had turned down an offer for Howells' services from an unnamed club.[27] He was not given a squad number by the club when they were announced five days later.[28]

On 11 September 2015, Howells joined Luton's fellow League Two club Yeovil Town on a one-month loan.[29] He played in six league games and one Football League Trophy match for Yeovil,[30] before returning to Luton on 12 October 2015.[31] Howells was left out of the first-team squad by Still upon his return, but was recalled to the starting line-up by interim manager Andy Awford following Still's sacking in December 2015 and was assigned squad number 40.[32] He made his first Luton appearance of the 2015–16 season in a 3–2 away win over Exeter City on 19 December 2015.[33] Howells admitted he had no complaints over his treatment by Still, stating that "maybe it was the wrong step" to ask to leave the club in the summer.[34] Following the appointment of Nathan Jones as Luton manager, Howells' run in the first-team continued, playing in every game under Jones' management until picking up a knee injury, for which he undergone a scan.[35] Shortly after, it was confirmed Howells would require a knee operation, resulting in a spell on the sidelines.[36] Howells returned to first-team football as a 94th-minute substitute for Josh McQuoid in a 3–2 away win over Oxford United on 16 April 2016.[37] He made a total of 17 league appearances for the club during the season.[30]

On 10 May 2016, it was announced that Howells would not have his contract renewed after making 334 appearances and scoring 31 goals for Luton since making his first-team debut at the age of 17 in 2008.[38][39]

Eastleigh

On 23 May 2016, Howells signed for National League club Eastleigh on a two-year contract.[40]

International career

Howells is eligible to play for England by birth, and also qualifies for Wales through one of his grandfathers. Wales enquired about picking Howells for their under-21 team towards the end of the 2008–09 season,[41] but on 30 October 2009 he was named in the England C squad for the match against the Poland U23 team.[42] He earned his first cap in a 2–1 victory over the Poles.[43] Howells scored his first goal for England C in a 1–0 victory over Estonia U23 in the International Challenge Trophy on 12 October 2010.[44]

On 27 July 2011, Howells was called up to the Wales U21 squad to face Hungary U21 in a friendly match.[45] He said "I’m really proud to be called up and hope to do well when I play."[45] He made his debut as Wales U21 lost 2–1 on 10 August 2011.[46] He made four further appearances during the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification campaign, playing in victories over Montenegro U21[47] and Andorra U21,[48] and defeats to the Czech Republic U21[49] and Armenia U21 as Wales U21 failed to qualify.[50]

Career statistics

As of match played 4 November 2016
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Luton Town 2007–08[51] League One 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2008–09[7] League Two 28 0 3 0 0 0 5[a] 0 36 0
2009–10[8][52] Conference Premier 31 6 6 0 — 2[b] 0 39 6
2010–11[8] Conference Premier 42 3 5 0 — 8[c] 0 55 3
2011–12[8] Conference Premier 42 5 3 0 — 7[d] 1 52 6
2012–13[8] Conference Premier 41 3 6 0 — 5[e] 0 52 3
2013–14[8] Conference Premier 35 8 2 0 — 4[e] 0 41 8
2014–15[25] League Two 36 4 4 1 0 0 1[a] 0 41 5
2015–16[30] League Two 17 0 0 0 0 0 — 17 0
Total 273 29 29 1 0 0 32 1 334 31
Yeovil Town (loan) 2015–16[30] League Two 6 0 — — 1[a] 0 7 0
Eastleigh 2016–17[8] National League 14 1 1 0 — 0 0 15 1
Career total 293 30 30 1 0 0 33 1 356 32
  1. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  2. ^ Appearances in Conference Premier play-offs
  3. ^ Five appearances in FA Trophy, three appearances in Conference Premier play-offs
  4. ^ Four appearances and one goal in FA Trophy, three appearances in Conference Premier play-offs
  5. ^ a b Appearance(s) in FA Trophy

Honours

Club

Luton Town

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c "Jake Howells". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Jake Howells". ESPN FC. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  3. ^ Wash, Roger, ed. (2008). Hatters Heroes. Roger Wash. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-9560832-0-3.
  4. ^ "Luton 0–1 Huddersfield". Luton Town F.C. 3 May 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Jake turned down big guns to stay at Town". Luton Today. 14 May 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Bradford 1–1 Luton". BBC Sport. 4 October 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "Games played by Jake Howells in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "J. Howells". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  9. ^ a b "King Keane rules the awards roost". Luton Today. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Hatters hand Howells pro contract". BBC Sport. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  11. ^ "Cambridge United 3–4 Luton". BBC Sport. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Luton 6–3 Histon". BBC Sport. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Awards a plenty for Pilks". Luton Town F.C. 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 April 2010.
  14. ^ "Jake Howells rewarded with Luton Town deal". BBC Sport. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
  15. ^ Cunliffe, James (3 January 2011). "Pilkington praises Howells ahead of Hayes test". Bedfordshire On Sunday. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Two trophies for Tyler". Luton Town F.C. 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  17. ^ Maiden, Phil (20 May 2012). "Luton Town 1–2 York City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  18. ^ "Howells pens new Luton deal". Bedfordshire On Sunday. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  19. ^ "Luton 4–1 Macclesfield". BBC Sport. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  20. ^ "Stockport 0–1 Luton". BBC Sport. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  21. ^ "Luton Town fan's view: Thank you, Jake Howells". Luton On Sunday. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  22. ^ "Luton Town win Conference Premier and Football League spot". BBC Sport. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  23. ^ "Luton Town: Jake Howells signs new Hatters deal". BBC Sport. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  24. ^ "Emotional Howells proud of reaching landmark". Luton Town F.C. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  25. ^ a b "Games played by Jake Howells in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  26. ^ "Luton Town 2–0 Stevenage". BBC Sport. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  27. ^ a b Simmonds, Mike (15 July 2015). "Hatters reject offer for Howells". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  28. ^ "Squad numbers submitted to The Football League". Luton Town F.C. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  29. ^ Simmonds, Mike (11 September 2015). "Howells heads to Yeovil for a month". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  30. ^ a b c d "Games played by Jake Howells in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  31. ^ Simmonds, Mike (12 October 2015). "Loan watch: Howells returns to Hatters after Yeovil deal expires". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  32. ^ "Jake Howells returns to Town squad this weekend". Luton Town F.C. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  33. ^ "Exeter City 2–3 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  34. ^ Simmonds, Mike (21 December 2015). "Howells has no complaints over his treatment by Luton". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  35. ^ Simmonds, Mike (7 March 2016). "Injured Howells to undergo scan". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  36. ^ Simmonds, Mike (10 March 2016). "Howells requires operation to cure knee injury". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  37. ^ "Oxford United 2–3 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  38. ^ "Hatters release list published". Luton Town F.C. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  39. ^ "Luton Town: Jake Howells and Alex Lawless among nine released". BBC Sport. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  40. ^ "Jake Howells: Eastleigh sign Luton midfielder on two-year deal". BBC Sport. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  41. ^ "Young Howells is on Wales' wish list". Luton Today. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  42. ^ "C squad named". The Football Association. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2009.[dead link]
  43. ^ "Fine win for England C". The Football Association. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2009.[dead link]
  44. ^ "England C into ICT semis". The Football Association. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2010.[dead link]
  45. ^ a b Wood, Mark (28 July 2011). "Howells chuffed by Wales U21 call". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  46. ^ "Wales U21 1–2 Hungary U21". BBC Sport. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  47. ^ "Wales U21 1–0 Montenegro U21". BBC Sport. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  48. ^ "Uefa under-21 qualifier: Wales U21 4–0 Andorra U21". BBC Sport. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  49. ^ "Wales U21 0–1 Czech Republic U21". BBC Sport. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  50. ^ "Wales U21 0–1 Armenia U21". Sky Sports. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  51. ^ "Games played by Jake Howells in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  52. ^ "Rampant Hatters make light work of Grays". Luton Today. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
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