Jonathan Mark Howson (born 21 May 1988) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...

who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the ...

in the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

. Howson started his professional career at

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

, where he made 225 appearances following his debut in September 2006. He moved to Norwich City in 2012 before his most recent transfer to Middlesbrough in 2017. He also formerly represented

England U21 The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team. This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calen ...

Early life

Howson was born in Morley, England.

Club career

Leeds United

2006–07 season

Howson was born in

Morley, West Yorkshire Morley is a market town and a civil parish within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. Morley is the largest town in the Borough of Leeds after Leeds itself. Morley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District. It l ...

and attended Bruntcliffe School.Morley Observer & Advertiser (29 September 2010)
"Leeds legend Lucas finds Bruntcliffe top of the league"
http://www.morleyobserver.co.uk/ (accessed 4 May 2011) Howson came through the

Academy along with James Milner, Danny Rose and

Aaron Lennon Aaron Justin Lennon (; born 16 April 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. Lennon began his career at hometown club Leeds United, making his first-team debut in 2003 and becoming the youngest player to play ...

and was a regular in the Leeds

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

pre-2006, scoring a number of goals at that level. On 22 August 2006, Howson was given a squad number (33) and place on the bench for the first team against Chester City in the

Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by t ...

, although he did not play. On 18 September 2006 Howson signed a three-year deal with the club.Leeds United (18 September 2006)
"Big Deal For Jonny"
Leeds United A.F.C..com (accessed 18 September 2006) Howson made his debut for the Leeds first team against Barnet in the League Cup on 20 September 2006. The manager who gave Howson his debut,

Kevin Blackwell Kevin Patrick Blackwell (born 21 December 1958) is an English former professional football goalkeeper who since retiring as a player has worked as a coach and a manager. He is currently the manager of Thai League 1 club Nakhon Ratchasima. Ear ...

, was sacked immediately after the game. New manager Dennis Wise handed Howson his league debut in December in the scoreless draw against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...

. Howson was awarded the Man of the Match award on his league debut.Leeds United (23 December 2006)
"One For The Fans"
Leeds United A.F.C..com (accessed 24 December 2006) Howson scored his first professional goal in February 2007 against Norwich City. Howson and Leeds were relegated from The

at the end of the 2006–07 season and dropped to the English 3rd tier for the first time in Leeds' history.

2007–08 season

Despite dropping a division, Howson remained on the fringes of the first team for the club's first ever third-tier campaign in 2007–08. He made his first league start of the season on 8 September. The managerial appointment of

Gary McAllister Gary McAllister MBE (born 25 December 1964) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. McAllister played primarily as a midfielder in a career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell ...

saw a greater emphasis placed on the club's younger players including Howson who became a regular towards the end of the season. Howson grew into his role and became more influential by the game, eventually captaining the side away to

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...

and becoming the club's youngest

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

since

Billy Bremner William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. Regarded as one of the game's great midfielders, he combined precision passing skills with tenacious tackling and physical stam ...

in doing so. After United narrowly missed out on an automatic promotion place, their play-off campaign would set the stage for one of Howson's finest games in a Leeds shirt. With Leeds trailing in tie after a 2–1 defeat in the first leg at

Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The ...

, Howson struck twice – the second a last minute winner – in a 2–0 victory at

Brunton Park Brunton Park is a football stadium and the home of Carlisle United. It is situated in the city of Carlisle and has a certified capacity of 17,949. The ground opened in 1909. Brunton Park's grandstand burned down in 1953 and the stadium floode ...

to send the club to their first

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

final since 1996.The Guardian (19 May 2009)
"Leeds Wembley-bound after Howson strike"
(accessed 24 September 2009) Leeds lost the final 1–0 against Doncaster Rovers, with the goal coming from Howson's failure to mark goalscorer James Hayter. Nevertheless, Howson was voted Leeds' Players' Young Player and Fans' Young Player of the Year at the club's end of season awards and he was also rewarded for his form with new three-year contract, extending by a further year if Leeds win promotion to The Championship.The Telegraph (16 May 2008)
"Steve Claridge on Leeds United's Jonathan Howson"
(accessed 24 September 2009)

2008–09 season

The following season saw high hopes for Howson but he ultimately struggled to find his form.

Fabian Delph Fabian Delph (born 21 November 1989) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder or left-back. He was on the books of Bradford City as a youngster until he moved to Leeds United aged 11. Having played 45 matc ...

superseded him as the club's hot young prospect and the team's indifferent form put added further pressure on the young midfielder. Howson remained a regular under McAllister for the first half of the season but the Scot's underwhelming tenure was eventually ended in December after five straight defeat in the league and cup.

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

manager Simon Grayson succeeded McAllister and Howson was mostly restricted to substitute appearances for his first ten games. He eventually returned to the side in February, scoring both goals in Leeds' 2–0 victory over

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...

. He gradually re-established himself as a first team regular with Fabian Delph being moved out to a wide left midfield position. Howson finished the season in a permanent central midfield place alongside

Neil Kilkenny Neil Martin Kilkenny (born 19 December 1985) is a professional footballer who plays for Australian club Western United. A midfielder, he began his career in the youth system at Arsenal, and went on to play league football for Oldham Athletic, B ...

and started in both of the club's two unsuccessful play-off semi-finals against

2009–10 season

At the beginning of Leeds' third campaign in

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

, Howson was appointed the new Leeds vice-captain and due to the absence of club captain

Richard Naylor Richard Alan Naylor (born 28 February 1977) is an English former footballer who played as a centre-back. Naylor started his career at Ipswich Town, where he played as a striker up until he was moved to centre-back by Joe Royle in 2002; he c ...

, took the captaincy for the start of the season.Yorkshire Evening Post (2 September 2009)
"Jonny's pride at captaincy role"
(accessed 24 September 2009) Howson started the season well, creating a solid central midfield partnership with Michael Doyle and leading the team to nine straight wins in all competitions but he lost the armband when club captain Richard Naylor made his return from injury against Carlisle United in late September. Leeds topped the league for much of the first half of the season after an excellent star; losing only once in the league between August and January, running

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

giants

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

close in a 0–1 defeat in the League Cup and reaching the third round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...

and regional final of the

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL ...

by the start of the new year. Leeds began 2010 away to arch-rivals and Champions of England

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

in the FA Cup. Howson provided a fifty-yard assist for Jermaine Beckford early in the first half as the League One club caused one of the competition's greatest ever upsets and Leeds' first victory at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wembl ...

in nearly thirty years in a 1–0 victory. It was the first time that the Reds had been eliminated from this stage of the competition under

Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...

. Leeds faced

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

in the next round three weeks later when Howson again provided a long-range pass for Beckford who won a last-minute penalty. With United trailing 2–1, Beckford grabbed the equaliser from the spot to bring Spurs back to Elland Road. Unfortunately, Tottenham won the replay 3–1 and Leeds also missed out on another Wembley appearance after losing on penalties to Carlisle United after drawing 4–4 on aggregate in the Football League Trophy regional final. Howson scored his fourth goal of the season in the

West Yorkshire derby The West Yorkshire derbies are a series of football matches or rugby league matches taking place between football or rugby league clubs from West Yorkshire. In football History Leeds United's relegation to League One in 2007 may have reignite ...

against

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...

, with the game finishing 2–2. After beginning the year eight points clear with a game in hand at the top of the table, Leeds' league form started to falter. The club's success in the cups had placed great strain on the side having played fifty games by the beginning of March. Norwich City had overtaken them at the top and promotion rivals Swindon Town, Millwall and Huddersfield Town gained ground. United eventually fell out of the automatic promotion zone after a 3–0 defeat at home to Swindon but they recovered and went into the final game of the season versus Bristol Rovers at Elland Road simply needing a win to get promoted at the third time of asking. Howson's poor form had seen him dropped to the bench but he came on after Rovers had taken the lead. Howson quickly equalised and the goal galvanised the crowd and team. The visitors soon began making mistakes and Beckford gave Leeds the advantage soon after. Leeds held on to their 2–1 lead and secured the runners' up spot; earning promotion back to the Championship in doing so.

2010–11 season

Howson remained an integral part of the first team as Leeds returned to the Championship. He started on the opening day of the season versus

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

and provided an assist for

Luciano Becchio Luciano Héctor Becchio (born 28 December 1983) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the assistant manager of Segunda División B – Group 3 side CD Atlético Baleares.Lincoln City in the League Cup and he opened the scoring in a 4–0 victory in under two minutes. He gained his first league goal of the season a few weeks later in a shock 5–2 defeat to

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

rivals

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough ha ...

. As United continued their slow start to the season, they went into their game versus

Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The te ...

on 30 October on the back of a crushing 4–0 home defeat versus

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

and with Grayson's position under scrutiny. Scunthorpe cancelled out

Max Gradel Max-Alain Gradel (born 30 November 1987) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Turkish club Sivasspor and the Ivory Coast national team. Gradel received his first call-up to the Ivory Coast national team i ...

's early strike with an equaliser midway through the first half as the teams went into half-time at 1–1. With Howson playing in his preferred attacking midfield position, he scored a surprise fifteen-minute hat-trick during the second half as Leeds sealed a valuable 4–1 victory. This feat was made all the more remarkable as it was considered to be a 'perfect' hat-trick; consisting of three goals with left-foot and right-foot strikes as well as a header. The game proved somewhat of a catalyst for the side as it began a twelve-match unbeaten run which would last into the new year and propel United into automatic-promotion contention. Howson – thriving in a more attacking position – added a further three goals during this run in away victories over

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Br ...

and a draw at home to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

. United's impressive form continued into 2011 as Howson captained to the side to what was almost another famous FA Cup victory over

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

at the

Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...

on 8 January. The Gunners equalised in the 90th minute through a penalty from Cesc Fàbregas after

Robert Snodgrass Robert Snodgrass (born 7 September 1987) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Heart of Midlothian. Snodgrass started his senior career with Livingston. He also had a loan spell at Stirling Albion before moving to ...

had initially given United the lead from the spot shortly after half-time. Leeds lost the replay 1–3 at Elland Road a couple of weeks later. The month was characterised by United's familiar prudent attitude in the January transfer window as the side began to slip away. Howson helped to end a run of two wins in eight games with his ninth and tenth goals of the season in a 5–2 victory over Wembley victors Doncaster Rovers on 5 March. The month proved to be a personal success for Howson as he was nominated for and won the

Football League Championship Player of the Month The EFL Championship Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the player adjudged the best for each month of the season in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Originally named the Football ...

award. As United returned from an international break, they recorded a vital 4–1 victory over ten-men play-off rivals Nottingham Forest with Howson opening the scoring early in the second-half. The team's failure to win any of their subsequent five games would cost them a play-off spot, missing out by a point as they finished the season in seventh place. Howson ended the season with a personal best of eleven goals from midfield and he picked up the club's Young Player of the Year award.

2011–12 season

In the summer of 2011, Howson was made permanent club captain, replacing the departed Richard Naylor. Howson's long-term midfield teammates Neil Kilkenny and

Bradley Johnson Bradley Paul Johnson (born 28 April 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for EFL League One club Milton Keynes Dons. Early life Born in Hackney, Greater London, Johnson was a keen motorcyclist as a chi ...

also left the

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

club, with Player of the Year Max Gradel joining the exodus on the deadline day of the Summer transfer window, as

Ken Bates Kenneth William Bates (born 4 December 1931) is a British businessman, football executive and hotelier. He was involved in the development of Wembley Stadium and is the former owner and chairman of football clubs Chelsea and Leeds United. Bate ...

once again emphasised the need for prudence, much to the anger of the fanbase. Howson's first game as official captain of Leeds came on the opening day of the season as Leeds suffered a 3–1 defeat against

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. He picked up his second career red card in the next league game versus

as United lost 0–1. Despite the loss of several key players and their slow start to the season, United recovered to remain competitive for much of the first half of the season; regularly stationed in the play-off zone. On 29 November, Howson scored his first goal of the season in a 4–0 away victory over Nottingham Forest in what was an emotionally charged affair, coming only two days after the death of Leeds legend

Gary Speed Gary Andrew Speed (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer and manager. As manager of Wales, Speed is often credited as being the catalyst for the change in fortunes of the national team and as setting t ...

. In the following game, Howson picked up a knee injury against Millwall in what would prove to be his last match for the club. The injury was suspected to keep Howson out of football for several months and he did not feature for his boyhood club again before he was sold to Premier League Norwich City in late January 2012. The sale of Howson prompted protests amongst Leeds supporters; enraged by what they perceived as a lack of ambition after failure to hold on to several key players in recent seasons and minimal investment in the first team squad. United defender and Howson's long-term friend Ben Parker rejected the club's claims that midfielder wanted to leave the club at a fans forum whilst negotiations were taking place. Parker would be sent out on

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

to Carlisle United shortly after and Simon Grayson, who had initially defended the sale, was sacked after criticising the club's lack of investment after a 1–4 defeat to

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...

on the January transfer deadline day. In total, Howson made 225 appearances for the club and scored 28 goals.

Norwich City

2011–12 season

On 18 January 2012, Leeds reported that they had "reluctantly accepted" a bid from Norwich City for Howson. After agreeing terms and completing a medical, Howson was signed on 24 January and would wear shirt number 24 for the Canaries. After recovering from his knee injury, he made his Norwich debut on 3 March in a 1–0 defeat to

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

. He then cemented a place in the side, starting three consecutive games in March. Howson then scored his first goal for the club on 7 April in a 2–2 draw against Everton with a close-range finish. After the game, manager

Paul Lambert Paul Lambert (born 7 August 1969) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Ipswich Town. Lambert played as a midfielder and won the Scottish Cup in 1987 with St Mirren as a 17-year-ol ...

described the performance as one of the best midfield performances that he had ever seen and likened his passing ability in the game to

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

midfielder

Andrés Iniesta Andrés Iniesta Luján (; born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and is the captain of J1 League club Vissel Kobe. Considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Iniesta has spent most of hi ...

2012-13 season

In the 2012-13 season Jonny Howson played 30 Premier League games for Norwich, under manager Chris Hughton. He scored two goals in the last two games of the season, including a fine solo effort at

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, as Norwich finished the campaign in 11th position in the table.

2013–14 season

Howson again proved his capability as an attacking midfielder with a good performance away at Stoke on 29 September 2013, scoring from a long-range effort that won Norwich the match 1–0. Howson's second goal of the season came in October in a 4–1 defeat at Arsenal. The season ended in disappointment for Howson and Norwich as they were relegated to the championship.

2014–15 season

Norwich started the 2014–15 season in good form under new manager Neil Adams. Howson's first goal of the 2014–15 campaign came in a 2–1 away loss at Nottingham Forest. Norwich's form dipped midway through the season which saw manager Neil Adams replaced by Alex Neil. Norwich's fortune turned under Neil's management as they pushed for promotion. Howson gave Norwich the lead in a 3–2 at the Valley against

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...

. Howson spurred Norwich to victory at The Den as he scored 2 goals including a 25-yard screamer in a 4–1 victory against Millwall. Norwich's good form continued as Howson scored again against Nottingham Forest in a 3–1 win at

Carrow Road Carrow Road is an association football stadium located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship side Norwich City. The stadium is located toward the east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum. ...

. Norwich moved into an automatic promotion spot as Howson scored against his former club in a 2–0 win at Leeds. Norwich narrowly missed out on automatic promotion as they finished 3rd in the league. Norwich were drawn against

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

n rivals

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn professio ...

in the semi-finals of the championship play-offs. Howson scored in the first leg of the

East Anglian derby The East Anglian derby is a sobriquet used to describe football matches held between Norwich City and Ipswich Town, the only fully professional football clubs in the neighbouring East Anglian counties of Norfolk and Suffolk respectively. In rec ...

Portman Road Portman Road is a football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly internation ...

with the match finishing 1–1. In the return fixture Norwich secured their place in the play-off final with a 3–1 win at Carrow Road. Howson helped Norwich secure promotion back to the Premier League as the club beat Middlesbrough 2–0 in the final at Wembley Stadium. Howson finished the season with 9 goals in 39 appearances.

2015–16 season

Howson recorded a total of 33 appearances and 3 goals in the Premier League and 35 appearances and 4 goals in all competitions. The club were relegated immediately back down to the Football League Championship at the end of the season.

2016–17 season

Howson recorded a total of 37 appearances and scored six goals in the EFL Championship and 38 appearances and scoring six goals in all competitions.

Middlesbrough

2017–18 season

On 7 July 2017, after much speculation, Howson signed for newly relegated EFL Championship club

, for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £6 million. He signed for the club on the same day as Derby County defender,

Cyrus Christie Cyrus Sylvester Frederick Christie (born 30 September 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Championship club Hull City and the Republic of Ireland national team. Early and personal life Christie was born in Coventry, ...

, did. He made his debut on 5 August 2017, the opening day of the Championship season, in a 1–0 defeat to promotion-favoured

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club' ...

, in which he was substituted off in the 81st minute for

Rudy Gestede Rudy Philippe Michel Camille Gestede (born 10 October 1988) is a professional footballer who last played as a striker for Iranian club Esteghlal. After coming through the youth ranks at Metz, Gestede spent a year on loan gaining experience w ...

. Despite Middlesbrough being favourites to lift the Championship trophy, the team suffered a string of negative results, which resulted in the dismissal of manager

Garry Monk Garry Alan Monk (born 6 March 1979) is an English football manager and former professional player who played as a centre back, and was most recently the manager of Championship club Sheffield Wednesday. His managerial career includes spells at ...

, two days before Christmas.

Tony Pulis Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday. Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him on ...

replaced him, and the changes kicked in slowly. The signing of

Muhamed Bešić Muhamed Bešić (; born 10 September 1992) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Ferencváros and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Bešić started his professional caree ...

on loan from Everton created extra pressure for Howson and his midfield partners

Adam Clayton Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. C ...

and

Grant Leadbitter Grant Leadbitter (born 7 January 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made more than 500 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, which included 212 for Middlesbrough, 180 for Sunder ...

to make regular appearances. The club finished the season in fifth place, where they qualified for the play-offs, where they were defeated by

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...

1–0 on aggregate. He scored twice in 41 appearances in the Championship, with 44 appearances in all competitions.

International career

In March 2010, Howson was watched by England under-21 manager

Stuart Pearce Stuart Pearce (born 24 April 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player, who was most recently a first-team coach for Premier League club West Ham United. He was nicknamed "Psycho" for his unforgiving style of play. ...

. On 6 February 2011, Howson received his first call-up to the squad for a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Howson made his debut during the game – a 1–0 defeat – entering the field as a 60th-minute substitute. 23 March 2011 Howson received his second call up to the Under 21s squad for the match against Denmark Under 21s. On 3 May 2011, Howson was called up to the provisional England under-21 squad for the European Under 21 Championships. However, when the final squad was trimmed to 23 players, Howson was left out of the final line-up, although he was placed on standby for the Championships.

Career statistics

Honours

Leeds United *

Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

runner-up: 2009–10 Norwich City *

Football League Championship play-offs The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

Individual * North-East FWA Player of the Year: 2020

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howson, Jonathan 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Morley, West Yorkshire Footballers from West Yorkshire English footballers England under-21 international footballers Association football midfielders Leeds United F.C. players Norwich City F.C. players Middlesbrough F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players