Ex-Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and Leicester City man takes on non-league role as part of takeover

A new era is being ushered in at Croft Park, as the National League North club have been taken over by Tyneside-based businessman Irfan Liaquat. On the pitch, Blyth are led by Owls academy product Jon Shaw and he will remain in post following the change in ownership.

However, he will now be assisted by another former Owl. Howard has been brought in to work with Shaw and “shape the Spartans’ squad of the future”.

The club currently sit 15th in the sixth tier, having recently been leapfrogged by West Yorkshire outfit Farsley Celtic.

Howard brings a wealth of experience to Blyth having amassed over 500 career appearances. 200 of those outings were in the Championship and he has three EFL promotions on his CV.

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His spell in South Yorkshire came late in his career, when Wednesday signed him on loan from Hartlepool United in 2013. He made a total of eight appearances for the Owls, scoring once.

Speaking about the takeover, Blyth’s new chairman Liaquat said: “Blyth Spartans is the most famous non-league club in the world. We are surrounded by a fantastic community. We want to get out of this tier as a matter of urgency.

“We will spend money but we won’t spend it like it’s going out of fashion. We know what we need to do and we will get to work instantly. There are exciting times ahead and you will see exactly what we need to do. I’ve been here as a fan and it took me five minutes to decide this is what I want. I’m looking forward to engaging with supporters.”