Denis Cecil Howe (14 September 1928 – 7 June 2020) was an English

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, rugby lea ...

who made 223 appearances in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

for

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

, Southend United and

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

in the 1950s. A full back or

centre half In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

, he also played in the Southern League for Bedford Town.

Life and career

Howe was born in September 1928 in

West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...

, now part of London. He began his football career with

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

, but never played first-team football for the club, and moved on to

in 1951. After three years and 89 appearances in the Third Division North, he spent four seasons in the Southern Section with Southend United, for whom he played 108 senior matches (101 in league competition). He finished his career in

with a season at

in Division Four. Howe signed for Southern League club Bedford Town in 1959, and played regularly for his first season with the club, but injuries restricted his second season to just six senior matches, the last of which was on 3 November 1960. He died in June 2020 at the age of 91.England and Wales, Find A Will: HOWE, Denis Cecil
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References

1928 births 2020 deaths Aldershot F.C. players Men's association football defenders Bedford Town F.C. players Darlington F.C. players English Football League players English men's footballers Footballers from the London Borough of Newham People from West Ham Southend United F.C. players Southern Football League players West Ham United F.C. players {{England-footy-defender-1920s-stub