Leslie 'Les' Howe was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 professional footballer who played for Enfield Town

Enfield Town F.C.

Enfield Town F.C. is an English football club from Enfield Town, Greater London. Established in 2001 as a fan-led breakaway from Enfield FC, the club currently play in Division One North of the Isthmian League and are based at the Queen Elizabeth II stadium....

, Northfleet United

Northfleet United F.C.

Northfleet United Football Club was a football club based in Northfleet, Kent.Founded in 1890, Northfleet United joined the Kent League in 1906-07 and were runners-up in their inaugural season. They followed that with three championship titles in 1907-08, 1908-09 and 1919-20...

, Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 and represented England

England national football team

The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

 at schoolboy level.

Football career

Howe played for non league Enfield Town before joining the Spurs nursery club Northfleet United. He signed as a professional in August 1930 for Tottenham Hotspur. On the 26 December 1930, Howe made his debut at right half at Southampton

Southampton F.C.

Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...

. He played in every outfield position for the White Hart Lane

White Hart Lane

White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....

 club which also included an appearance as an emergency goal keeper against Coventry City

Coventry City F.C.

Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...

. The versatile player featured in 182 games and scored 28 goals in all competitions for the Lilywhites till the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 in 1939.

Later years

Howe served his country in the RAF. After the hostilities had ended Howe returned to the Spurs in the capacity of managing the club's A side. Outside of football he ran public houses in the London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 area before becoming the manager of Enfield Town F.C. in 1948–49. Howe worked as plumbing

Plumbing

Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...

 supervisor till his retirement in March 1978 and lived in Wood Green

Wood Green

Wood Green is a district in north London, England, located in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated north of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London.-History:...

. He died on 23 February 1999 at the North Middlesex Hospital

North Middlesex Hospital

The North Middlesex University Hospital, known locally as North Mid, is a District General Hospital in Edmonton, in the London Borough of Enfield, within the area served by the Enfield Primary Care NHS Trust.- History :...

, Edmonton.