 Howson was born in Morley, West Yorkshire and attended Bruntcliffe School.Howson came through the Leeds United Academy along with James Milner, Danny Rose and Aaron Lennon and was a regular in the Leeds reserve team pre-2006, scoring a number of goals at that level.On 22 August 2006, Howson was given a squad number (33) and place on the bench for the first team against Chester City in the Football League Cup, although he did not play.