Brian Howard (footballer)

Howard started his career as a trainee with Premier League club Southampton, but he was released in 2003 without making a first-team appearance. He trained with Chelsea,[2] who offered him a contract, but while he was away with the England under-20 team, the club was taken over by Roman Abramovich and several top players were signed. Howard chose to turn down Chelsea's offer, preferring the prospect of playing regularly in a lower division, and signed a one-year deal with Division Two (third-tier) club Swindon Town.[3][4][5] Howard made his Football League debut on 9 August in a 3–2 home defeat against Sheffield Wednesday, and scored his first Swindon goal on 1 October, an 89th-minute equaliser against Luton Town.[6][7] In his first season, Howard scored four goals from 41 appearances in all competitions as Swindon lost to Brighton & Hove Albion in the play-off semifinals.[6]

Howard's contract was extended for a further year ahead of the 2004–05 season.[8] He was used in a more central role in midfield rather than on the wing, a change which pleased the player.[9] As Swindon finished in mid-table, Howard finished the season with six goals from 42 appearances, having missed the last three games of the season with a broken bone in his foot.[10][11] Budget restrictions meant manager Andy King chose not to offer Howard a new contract;[12] he expressed his disappointment that a team with potential was being broken up because of finance.[13]

Howard had talks with AFC Bournemouth,[14] but signed a two-year contract with fellow League One club Barnsley.[15] He missed the first two months of the season with a broken bone in the foot.[16][17] After this, Howard became an important member of the promotion-winning team alongside Stephen McPhail in midfield.[18] The pair played in all three play-off games, and Daniel Nardiello's equalising free kick, that took the final against Swansea City into extra time, resulted from a foul on Howard.[19]

In March 2007, Howard was one of three Barnsley players released without charge following arrest in connection with an alleged racially motivated assault.[20] He was named Barnsley's player of the year for the 2006–07 season, as the team successfully avoided relegation, and signed a new two-year contract.[21]

Having acted as captain of Barnsley during much of the 2007–08 season when Paul Reid was out of the team, manager Simon Davey appointed Howard captain on a permanent basis in January 2008. He said it was a "massive honour" to captain a top-half Championship team, and appreciated the trust Davey and the club had in him.[22] That season, Barnsley reached the semifinals of the FA Cup. In the fifth round, Howard scored a 93rd-minute winner to beat Liverpool 2–1 at Anfield.[23][24] Barnsley eliminated Chelsea in the next round to progress to the semifinal,[25] which they lost to Cardiff City.[26] Howard was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.[27]

After reported interest from clubs including Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Everton,[28] and Sheffield United, the club's owner, Patrick Cryne, suggested Howard was a better player than Sheffield United's Michael Tonge, and if Tonge were valued at £3 to £4 million, then Howard would be worth £10m.[29] United manager Kevin Blackwell denied any interest in signing Howard,[30] Davey confirmed no bid had been received from the club,[31] and Sky Sports quoted Howard as saying "I feel I have given great service to this club, and I would like them to recognise that by doing one of two things – either give me the contract I am worth or sell me. And by that, I mean doing me the courtesy of selling me at a realistic price."[32]

At the end of September, Howard was left out of Barnsley's squad ahead of an expected loan move to Sheffield United,[33] completed on 2 October. He signed on loan until January 2009, with an option to purchase at that time.[34] He made his debut a couple of days later, appearing as a second-half substitute in a 3–0 home victory over Bristol City.[35]

Howard played regularly in the Blades midfield from that point but had to wait until 9 December before he scored his first goal, netting the winner in a 1–0 away win over Nottingham Forest.[36] He joined United permanently on 7 January 2009.[37] He contributed to the club reaching the play-offs, and scored in the semifinal against Preston North End,[38] but was "largely anonymous" in the final as United lost 1–0 to Burnley.[39]

Howard playing for Reading in 2010

Howard began the 2009–10 season in Sheffield United's starting eleven, but on 2 September 2009, he signed for Championship rivals Reading on a three-year contract for a fee of £500,000; James Harper went the other way on loan.[40][41]

He scored his first goal for the club on 20 October against Queens Park Rangers, a late consolation with Reading already 4–0 down.[42] During the match against Derby County on 28 November, Howard suffered mild concussion and a fractured jaw in a clash of heads. He was out for several weeks recovering from surgery to insert metal plates in his jaw.[43] In the FA Cup fifth round against West Bromwich Albion, Howard volleyed over the goalkeeper only to hit the crossbar before scoring a 94th-minute equaliser; Gylfi Sigurðsson's "brilliant curling winner" in extra time put Reading into the quarter-finals for the first time since 1927.[44] He stood in as captain for four matches towards the end of the season while Matt Mills served a suspension.[45]

Howard was sent off against Middlesbrough in September for a late tackle.[46] In mid-March 2011, he was linked with a move back to Southampton.[47] He remained at Reading, making 28 appearances over the season and contributed to their reaching the play-offs, but was an unused substitute in the semifinal second leg and the final, as Reading lost to Swansea City.[48] He then stated that if Reading were unable to give him regular football, he would prefer to leave.[49] Howard spent three months on loan at Championship club Millwall in the first half of the 2011–12 season.[50][51] He said he expected to leave Reading in the January transfer window,[52] but no move took place, and he was released when his contract expired in June 2012.[53]

After a pre-season trial with Portsmouth,[54] who were rebuilding a squad after losing all their senior players because of the club's administration, Howard was one of ten players to sign a one-month contract on 16 August 2012.[55] He was named captain.[56] Howard scored his first goal in a Football League Trophy match at home to Bournemouth on 4 September,[57] but was relieved of penalty-taking duties in October after missing twice in a week.[58] In January, Howard was one of a number of players given a week's notice that their contracts would not be renewed,[59] and they duly left the club.[60]

On 15 February 2013, Howard signed a contract until the season's end with Bristol City, taking shirt number 11.[61] His first appearance was as a substitute in the Severnside Derby against Cardiff City the next day, and he made a further five appearances, all as a substitute, before being released at the end of the season.[62]

Howard signed a one-year contract with Bulgarian A Football Group club CSKA Sofia in August 2013.[63] He played 13 games, 11 in the League,[64] before returning to England during the mid-season break.

Howard joined yet another Championship club, Birmingham City, in January 2014 until the end of the season.[65] After making his debut in a 2–0 defeat at home to Yeovil Town,[66] Howard's first goal for Birmingham, a 48th-minute flicked header from Paul Caddis's cross, opened the scoring at home to Derby County on 1 February; the match finished 3–3.[67] He suffered a broken toe and ankle problems,[68][69] and after just three more appearances, he was released when his contract expired.[66][70]

Howard joined Oxford United on 15 September 2014. His contract ran until January 2015 with the option of extending until the end of the season,[71] but played only infrequently and was released in December.[72]

In January 2015, Howard signed for Conference Premier club Eastleigh until the end of the season.[73] In September 2015, he joined Alresford Town,[74] and by the end of the season had played 18 matches and scored 6 goals in all competitions, with 4 goals from 15 matches in the Wessex League.[75] He moved to Romsey Town for the start of the 2016–17 season[76] before switching in January 2017 to Brighton-based National League South club Whitehawk.[77]