Club Career
After impressing in the 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. Soon after, Howells revealed that he had turned down offers to join Premier League clubs Portsmouth and Fulham while in the youth team, but had chosen instead to further his career at Luton.
Howells became a regular in the first team during 2008–09, making his first appearance in a 1–1 draw with Bradford City in October. He played a total of 28 league games over the year, being used primarily at left back and occasionally on the left wing. With the exception of the final, Howells played in every game of Luton's Football League Trophy success, receiving a winner's medal at Wembley Stadium. Howells won the club's Young Player of the Year award following his impressive season, and signed his first professional contract with Luton soon after.
Howells scored his first senior goal the next season, in a 4–3 win against Cambridge United on 26 September 2009. 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. On 25 April 2010, Howells was named as Luton's Young Player of the Year for the second successive season.
On 25 November 2010, it was announced that Howells had signed a new two-year contract with Luton. With an injury to regular left-back Fred Murray in December 2010, Howells reverted back to his original position in defence, helping Luton keep six clean sheets in a row throughout January 2011. After another solid season in a number of positions, including central midfield, Howells again received the Young Player of the Year award, and in doing so became the first Luton player to win the accolade for three seasons in a row.
The 2011–12 season saw Howells used primarily at left back due to injuries to other players, and he played in that position in the team that lost 2–1 to York City in the Conference National play-off final at Wembley Stadium in May 2012. The next month, he signed 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 as of the end of the 2011–12 season. 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.
Read more about this topic: Jake Howells
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