Wealdstone Borrow Hammers Young Keeper

....soon for a knee operation, Vanarama National League South club Wealdstone have signed England under-18 internaional goalkeeper Sam Howes on a month’s loan from Barclays Premier League side West Ham United

Eighteen-year-old Howes is a commanding goalkeeper who joined West Ham United at under-10 level from Crystal Palace. He made his Barclays Under-18 Premier League debut by starting at Blackburn Rovers on December 1st 2012, just three weeks past his 15th birthday Sam totalled five Barclays Under-18 Premier League starts in 2012/13, when he was just a schoolboy and took over as under-18s number one while still a schoolboy in 2013/14 and totalled twenty-three appearances.

He made five Development Squad appearances in 2013/14 – three in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League and two in the League Cup and then capped a superb 2013/14 season by winning the young Hammer of the year award. He joined the first-team squad on their Football United Tour of New Zealand in July 2014

He was part of the England squad which won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship title in Malta in summer 2014.

Last season the England Under-18 international goalkeeper had another fine campaign between the sticks, moving between the under-18 and under-21s, making a total of thirty-two starts.

Howes’ crowning glory came in a penalty shootout against arch rivals Millwall in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League Cup. In a drab game, Howes made several impressive saves in extra time before saving the crucial spot-kick after the shoot-out had reached sudden death.