David Howland
Encyclopedia
David Howland is a Northern Irish
professional football midfielder
who plays for Glentoran
in the IFA Premiership
. He has represented his country at under-21 level
.
Starting his career at Birmingham City
, a January 2008 loan move to Port Vale was made permanent at the end of the season. He was released by the club in the summer of 2010, at which point he signed with Glentoran.
, and joined Birmingham City
's Academy
in 2002. He signed his first one-year professional contract in 2005, which was renewed for a further year. He was allocated a first-team squad number for the first time during the 2006–07 season, and signed a further year's contract before the 2007–08 season. A central midfielder, he played regularly for Birmingham's reserve team but did not make an appearance for the first team.
He was an unused substitute in the League Cup
fourth round tie against Blackburn Rovers
in September 2007 in unusual circumstances. Birmingham had selected the 15-year-old Jordon Mutch
, having obtained confirmation from the Premier League that it was within the rules for a boy of that age to play, but were informed less than two hours before kick-off that due to the Football Association
's child protection rules Mutch would not be eligible. Special dispensation was granted for Howland, who had not been assigned a squad number for the 2007–08 season, to take his place on the bench wearing a numberless shirt.
of League One
on loan for the remainder of the season, and made his debut in the Football League
on 26 January 2008 against A.F.C. Bournemouth
.
At the end of the season he was released by Birmingham, but his performance while on loan at Port Vale was sufficient to earn him a two-year permanent deal.
He was one of few Vale players to hit 40 games in the 2008–09 season. He enjoyed his time under Dean Glover
, especially in games with Glover's five-man midfield tactic. However he was transfer listed by new manager Micky Adams
in August 2009, along with five others, having failed to impress in the pre-season. After a month on the transfer list, he was the only one of the six to have received no inquiries from any clubs, which came as a surprise to many Vale fans. He returned to the Vale first team in mid-September, after impressing in training, though he remained transfer listed. In April 2010 he learned that he would not be offered a new contract by manager Micky Adams
.
, signing a season long contract with IFA Premiership
club Glentoran
. He made his debut in the televised Sky Sports
match at home to Linfield
. He was utilized in the playmaker role in the heart of the midfield. The Glens finished in third place in 2010–11, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. In January 2011 he signed a contract to keep him at the club until 2014.
in February 2006. He has won four cap
s at under-21 level.
|2005–06
||Birmingham City
||Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2006–07||Birmingham City
||Championship
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2007–08||Birmingham City
||Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2007–08
||Port Vale
||League One
||17||1||0||0||0||0||17||1
|-
|2008–09
||Port Vale
||League Two
||40||2||1||1||0||0||41||3
|-
|2009–10
||Port Vale
||League Two
||5||0||1||0||0||0||7||0
|-
|2010–11||Glentoran
||IFA Premiership
||?||2||?||?||?||?||?||2
|-
|2011–12
||Glentoran
||IFA Premiership
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
62||3||2||1||0||0||65||4
?||2||?||?||?||?||?||2
62||5||2||1||0||0||65||6
Notes:
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
professional football midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
who plays for Glentoran
Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
in the IFA Premiership
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
. He has represented his country at under-21 level
Northern Ireland national under-21 football team
The Northern Ireland national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Northern Ireland.-Former coaches:* To 20 August 2008.-2008/09 Matches:-Current squad:Squad to play San Marino.-Other Recent Call-Ups:...
.
Starting his career at Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, a January 2008 loan move to Port Vale was made permanent at the end of the season. He was released by the club in the summer of 2010, at which point he signed with Glentoran.
Birmingham City
Howland was born in Ballynahinch, County DownCounty Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, and joined Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
's Academy
Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy
Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy are the reserve team and the youth development system respectively of Birmingham City Football Club. The reserve team, established in 1879, played in the Premier Reserve League South in the 2009–10 season but have not entered a league since...
in 2002. He signed his first one-year professional contract in 2005, which was renewed for a further year. He was allocated a first-team squad number for the first time during the 2006–07 season, and signed a further year's contract before the 2007–08 season. A central midfielder, he played regularly for Birmingham's reserve team but did not make an appearance for the first team.
He was an unused substitute in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
fourth round tie against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
in September 2007 in unusual circumstances. Birmingham had selected the 15-year-old Jordon Mutch
Jordon Mutch
Jordon James Edward Sydney Mutch is an English footballer who plays for Birmingham City. He plays as a midfielder. Mutch made his first-team debut for Birmingham in the League Cup in August 2008, and made his debut in the Football League while on loan to Hereford United, spending subsequent loan...
, having obtained confirmation from the Premier League that it was within the rules for a boy of that age to play, but were informed less than two hours before kick-off that due to the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
's child protection rules Mutch would not be eligible. Special dispensation was granted for Howland, who had not been assigned a squad number for the 2007–08 season, to take his place on the bench wearing a numberless shirt.
Port Vale
In January 2008 he joined Port ValePort Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
of League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
on loan for the remainder of the season, and made his debut in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
on 26 January 2008 against A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
.
At the end of the season he was released by Birmingham, but his performance while on loan at Port Vale was sufficient to earn him a two-year permanent deal.
He was one of few Vale players to hit 40 games in the 2008–09 season. He enjoyed his time under Dean Glover
Dean Glover
Dean Victor Glover is an English former footballer and football manager. A cultured and stylish defender, he had the ball control skills of a midfielder. He played 457 league games in a seventeen year career in the Football League.He started his career at Aston Villa in 1980, before he moved on to...
, especially in games with Glover's five-man midfield tactic. However he was transfer listed by new manager Micky Adams
Micky Adams
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
in August 2009, along with five others, having failed to impress in the pre-season. After a month on the transfer list, he was the only one of the six to have received no inquiries from any clubs, which came as a surprise to many Vale fans. He returned to the Vale first team in mid-September, after impressing in training, though he remained transfer listed. In April 2010 he learned that he would not be offered a new contract by manager Micky Adams
Micky Adams
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
.
Glentoran
In September 2010, Howland left England for BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, signing a season long contract with IFA Premiership
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
club Glentoran
Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
. He made his debut in the televised Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
match at home to Linfield
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
. He was utilized in the playmaker role in the heart of the midfield. The Glens finished in third place in 2010–11, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. In January 2011 he signed a contract to keep him at the club until 2014.
International career
Howland has represented Northern Ireland at junior levels and was first selected for the under-21 squadNorthern Ireland national under-21 football team
The Northern Ireland national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Northern Ireland.-Former coaches:* To 20 August 2008.-2008/09 Matches:-Current squad:Squad to play San Marino.-Other Recent Call-Ups:...
in February 2006. He has won four cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
s at under-21 level.
Club level
|-|2005–06
2005–06 Birmingham City F.C. season
-September:-October:-November:-December:-January:-February:-March:-April–May:-League table :-Results summary:-Results by round:-FA Cup:-League Cup:-In:...
||Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2006–07||Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2007–08||Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2007–08
2007–08 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2007–08 season was Port Vale's ninety-sixth season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in League One. Vale finished second-from-bottom, and were relegated, some twelve points from safety. Manager Martin Foyle left the club in September, and Lee Sinnott failed to...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||17||1||0||0||0||0||17||1
|-
|2008–09
2008–09 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Port Vale's ninety-seventh season of football in the Football League, and first season in League Two, following their relegation from League One. After a poor start to the season manager Lee Sinnott was sacked in September, and was replaced by Dean Glover. Despite a brief...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||40||2||1||1||0||0||41||3
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Port Vale's ninety-eighth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in League Two. Micky Adams received plaudits for his first full season in charge. He took a squad of players that had previously been near the bottom of the division and made...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||5||0||1||0||0||0||7||0
|-
|2010–11||Glentoran
Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
||IFA Premiership
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
||?||2||?||?||?||?||?||2
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 IFA Premiership
1 Carrick Rangers are currently playing their home matches at Crusaders' Seaview ground.-League table:-Matches 1–22:During matches 1–22 each team will play every other team twice ....
||Glentoran
Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
||IFA Premiership
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
62||3||2||1||0||0||65||4
?||2||?||?||?||?||?||2
62||5||2||1||0||0||65||6
Notes:
- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
results included in totals.
under-21 caps
- Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first. The "Caps" figures are in bold for games in which he scored
Caps Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored Location Cards 01 (00) 2007-02-06 The Oval The Oval (Belfast)The Oval is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland.The stadium has been home to Glentoran since 1892. Before that the team used Ormeau Park from 1882 to 1886. Then the team shifted to King's Field in Ballymacarrett for four years until 1890. The team's next destination was Musgrave Park...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
0–4 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 
02 (00) 2007-03-24 Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin, Pitești PitestiPitești is a city in Romania, located on the Argeș River. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated on the A1 freeway connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest,...
0–2 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0 
03 (00) 2007-11-16 Mourneview Park Mourneview ParkMourneview Park is a football stadium in Lurgan, and is the home ground of Glenavon F.C.. The stadium holds 5,000 and was built in 1895. The 2009 CIS Cup final was held there: the first such final to be held outside Belfast.-External links:**...
, LurganLurganLurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and in the north-eastern corner of the county. Part of the Craigavon Borough Council area, Lurgan is about 18 miles south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway...
5–0 UEFA U-21 Championship Qualification 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Qualification Group 9The teams competing in Group 9 of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championships qualifying competition are Germany, Israel, Luxembourg, Moldova and Northern Ireland.-Standings:...
0 04 (00) 2008-03-26 The Showgrounds, Ballymena BallymenaBallymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....
1–3 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
0