Former Luton favourite thanks the Hatters fans for their support after announcing his retirement aged 31

Former Luton favourite Jake Howells has given a special thanks to the Hatters fans after announcing his retirement from football at the age of just 31.

Born in St Albans, he came through the ranks at Kenilworth Road as a teenager, breaking through to make his first team debut on May 3, 2008 aged just 17, replacing Sol Davis with 15 minutes to go in the 1-0 League One defeat at home to Huddersfield Town.

Howells went on to play 36 games the following campaign, part of the side who were relegated out of the Football League, mainly due to the FA’s hefty points deduction.

He remained at the club during their non-league days, apart from a brief loan spell with Yeovil, featuring 35 times in the 2013-14 season that saw Town return to the Football League as champions of the Blue Square Bet Premier under John Still.

Howells went on to make 334 appearances in total, which was until recently the 16th most in the club’s history, dropping down to 17th after being overtaken by midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu.

He scored 31 goals too, with his last outing coming in a 4-1 win over Exeter City, on May 7, 2016, released by current boss Nathan Jones.

From there, the left-footer linked up with Eastleigh, also having spells at Ebbsfleet and Dagenham & Redbridge, where he featured under ex-Hatters manager Still once more.

Leaving in June 2018, Howells went to Billericay and then Hemel Hempstead Town, reaching his 500th career appearance in November 2020, as he finished the game between the posts, replacing injured goalkeeper Dean Snedker in stoppage time.

He went to Kings Langley for a brief spell, before having a season off and then featuring for Berkhamsted this term, before deciding to call time on his career.

Howells also played internationally too, turning out for England C four times, while with Luton, scoring in a 1–0 victory over Estonia in the International Challenge Trophy in October 2010.

He also represented Wales U21s during his time at Kenilworth Road, qualifying through one of his grandparents, going on to win five caps in total.

Announcing his retirement on social media, Howells wrote: “With a heavy heart, I have decided to hang up the boots after an amazing football journey.

"Plenty of memories on and off the pitch and I was lucky enough to meet lifelong friends along the way.

"Special thanks to the Luton fans. From the minute I made my debut, they have always supported me and I’ll always be grateful for that.

"I was lucky enough to live my childhood dream and become a professional football player and have my name on the back of my shirt.

"To go on and play over 500 career appearances, my proudest moment being my professional debut for Luton at 17 years old and my greatest honour was to represent my country.

"It's now time for me to call it a day.

"After all of the commitment over the many years, my priority is now time with my family, friends and my career.

"I'm proud to have played in the best stadiums and against the best players across the leagues.

"It's time to say goodbye to my playing days, with my career in the business side of football only just beginning.”