Keith Houchen brought Steve Howard to Pools from Tow Law Town as a 19 year old midfielder. During the next three and a half seasons, he was a regular in the first team both in midfield and as a striker. Despite a string of whole-hearted performances and a steady trickle of goals, he never really won over the hearts of the Pools supporters, though Northampton Town saw enough promise to put in a six-figure bid and Howard left Pools in February 1999, a few days before Chris Turner took over as manager. Howard`s departure turned out to be a big loss for Pools. At Northampton, and especially at his next club Luton Town, Howard progressed from a tall slender midfielder/forward into one of the most powerful and effective target men in the lower divisions. He scored well over 100 goals after leaving Pools and at his peak those goals come at the rate of one every other game. He has made a particular habit of scoring against Pools, scoring against us more regularly than any other striker of his era. At the age of 36, Howard returned to Hartlepool for a second spell. He scored in a pre-season friendly against a strong Sunderland side but struggled to make a significant impact in what was a struggling and uncreative Pools side. A classic targetman’s performance at Bramall Lane over Christmas was a rare bright spot in a 2012/13 season short of highlights. Howard spent the latter part of that season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, and judging by comments made to the press his return looked unlikely. However, new manager Colin Cooper announced at the end of July 2013 that the big striker had reaffirmed his commitment to the cause and had been handed the number nine shirt for the new season. Sadly, things did not go to plan. Howard made just eight uninspiring appearances before being sent off in a home game against Oxford. Pools played with pace and confidence during his enforced absence and he failed to regain his place before coming to an agreement that saw him leave the club in November 2013.