Those are the words that Wrexham goalkeeper Mark Howard remembers his father saying when he was seven years old, after coming back from an Uhlsport training camp in Keele.
Now 36, the Englishman – born and raised in South London – has had a long career in professional football. Since debuting for Falkirk in 2006, Howard has been involved in over 700 games, starting around 400 of them, for clubs in England, Scotland, and Wales. Most of it has played out far away from his childhood home in Croydon, but he feels he has a few more years in the tank yet.
To date he’s made first team appearances for eleven teams and in recent seasons he’s been tasked with joining clubs mid-season to steady the ship. His calm demeanour and vast experience has allowed him to achieve this and more. The 2021-22 season saw him win the Player of the Season, Player’s Player and Fans’ Player of the Year at Carlisle United, with other highlights including promotions and cup semi-finals at Wembley.
Nonetheless, there could still be some additions to the story. With Howard part of the ‘Wrexham project’, headed by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney) behind the scenes (sort of) and former boss Phil Parkinson at the helm pitchside, since the summer of 2022, one of the most unique chapters of a longevous career to date is still being written.
