Luke Howell our relatively new signing from Milton Keynes Dons has been forced to play wide right midfield, initially in the absence of Mustapha Carayol. But as he admits himself marauding the flank is not his strongest position whereas coming through the middle is. Grimes cross on Saturday saw him charge through the centre to blast a smart 16 yarder home for his first goal in Imp colours.
The Imps have certainly missed him in the centre of midfield, clearly his strongest and by his own admission, favoured position. You feel he would complement Ali Fuseini just as he did when Josh O’Keefe found himself hitting his purple patch at the Imps up until recently. The trouble is Carayol, for all his undeniable ability going forward, can be something of a liability when it comes to a counter attack as most out and out wingers are. Luke however offers a bit of protection for his full back and combines well with the overlapping Hoyte when fit.
Luke, who learned his trade at Gillingham predominantly as a right back and can play fullback, wing-back or as an orthodox right or central midfielder according to two Don season ticket holders we know well at LCM. They like many others were surprised to see him go.
Perhaps this versatility could be the key to a rumoured extension to his existing permanent deal until the end of this season. Since signing for us in January his willingness to adapt and learn have impressed the management team no end. We will need people who can do different jobs in the squad next season as the realities of 21st century football continue to strike home.
Keep it up Luke and get tighter on your midfield counterpart on Tuesday.
Name: Luke Howell
Nationality: English
Date of Birth: 05/01/1987 (Age 24)
Height: 5' 8" (173cm)
Weight: 14st 1lbs (89.44kg)
Current Club: MK Dons
Previous Clubs: Gillingham
Positions: Midfielder RC / Defender R / Wingback R
Imps Aps 2010 - 11
Competition | Apps (as sub) |
Goals | Yellow Cards |
Red Cards |
League | 15 (1) | 1 | 2 | 0 |
FA Cup | 2 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Minutes on Pitch 1671 |
Milton Keynes Dons | ||||
Competition | Apps (as sub) |
Goals | Yellow Cards |
Red Cards |
League | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
League Cup | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Minutes on Pitch 150 |