Born on this day in 1969 is former Sunderland defender/forward Lee Howey, who apparently has a famous song about his brother...
Both Howey brothers grew up in Sunderland, with Lee joining Terry Butcher’s Sunderland side in 1993 after impressing with Bishop Auckland- where he would go to Roker Park to watch the 1992 cup run as a fan!
His debut came at home against Portsmouth in May, with the Lads battering Pompey 4-1. Two goals came from Don Goodman, with Martin Gray and Gordon Armstrong getting one each.
Whilst Lee had became an apprentice at Ipswich Town, had a brief spell in Belgium, and suffered a potentially career-ending knee injury, his brother decided to sign as a schoolboy for Newcastle- despite supposed interest from Lawrie McMenemy’s Sunderland.
Back on Wearside though, Lee was largely limited to substitute appearances over the next two seasons, making 38 altogether in the league and cup. He was often played in Sunderland’s reserves, clearly not fancied by Butcher’s successor Mick Buxton.
Things changed when Peter Reid came in. Despite not featuring at first, Howey was given a chance in the 1995 pre-season and never looked back. Reidy dragged the team from relegation candidates to champions of the First Division within twelve months.
Howey played over 30 games that season, and contributed with a huge goal at Fratton Park, which salvaged a 2-2 draw and kick-started a great run of 18 games unbeaten towards the end of the season.
However, the Premier League was a step too far for Sunderland and Howey alike. The Lads were relegated, and Lee made just twelve league appearances. He was sold to Burnley at the end of the season, where he would score on his debut- his only goal during his time at Turf Moor.
Howey would go on to wind down his career in the lower leagues, playing for the likes of Northampton Town, Forest Green Rovers and finally Nuneaton Borough. After retirement, he wrote an honest and humorous autobiography, named ‘Massively Violent and Decidedly Average’.
