Rarely can £50,000 have been better spent in football than the fee Luton paid Northampton Town on deadline day in March 2001 to prise the bustling striker away from the Cobblers.He has been the Hatters leading marksman in for the last four seasons and is a huge favourite at Kenilworth Road - he was the fans player of the year in 2002, and the players' player of the year 12 months later.Howard had cost Northampton a then record fee of £120,000 when they recruited him from Hartlepool two years previously. They grudgingly accepted a third of their asking price for a player who would have left for nothing soon afterwards under the Bosman ruling. Howard exploded into action in his first full season with Luton, and his 24 goals made him the Third Division's top league marksman as Luton won promotion. By the end of last season he had moved up to seventh in Luton Town's list of leading post-war goalscorers, averaging a goal every two games for the Hatters and he's carried that form into the new season, picking up the League One Powerade Player of the Month for August, after he netted five times in the opening five matches. He continued that fine streak by going on to score 22 goals.

	Caroline Jinks & Sharon Skinner		Bobbers Travel Club