It was my honour to have been Chairman at Runcorn Linnets for over 10 years during the formation of the new club. It was a great pleasure to get to know Howard in his role at HBC and I can honestly say that he was instrumental in helping us to locate the club to its present ground in the Murdishaw area of the town. Our first visit to the derelict building was undertaken by torchlight as there was no electricity. We all knew that work would be needed but that was the start of our journey to relocate back into the town and ultimately create a ground of which we are all justifiably proud. Howard, together with HBC CEO David Parr were massively supportive and the club owes them a deep sense of gratitude. Since then, Howard became a regular visitor to the stadium (although he never abandoned his beloved Villa!) and it was always a pleasure to catch up and have a chat. Thank you, Howard, for helping make our dream come true.

Derek Greenwood