Howkins began his career with West Bromwich Albion. He joined the club at the age of 11 before progressing through the academy.[4] He signed scholarship forms, which eventually progressed through a third year.[5][6][7] In January 2017, Howkins signed a professional contract to keep him at The Hawthorns until 2019.[8]
On 23 October 2015, Howkins joined National League side Kidderminster Harriers on a 28-day youth loan.[9] He made his league debut for the "Carpetmen" six days later, in a 1–0 win over Woking at Aggborough.[10] He managed to establish himself in the first-team alongside Kelvin Langmead, with Jordan Tunnicliffe out injured, and was described by managerDave Hockaday as "a lot of a monster, never mind a bit of a monster ... he's a big daft, galloot! He's got great height, he's a great athlete, he's big, he's strong he's up for the fight".[11]CoachDarren Moore said that "he's learning invaluable lessons of the game" playing in Kiddy's relegation fight.[12] His loan spell was extended until January, and he scored his first goal in senior football in a 2–1 defeat to Cheltenham Town on Boxing Day.[13][14] He went on to make a total of ten appearances before being recalled by his parent club on 4 January.[15]
Howkins joined League Two side Mansfield Town on loan in July 2016.[16] He made his debut in the English Football League in a 3–2 victory at Newport County in the opening game of the season on 6 August.[17] However, he suffered a hamstring injury in an EFL Trophy Group Stage defeat to Doncaster Rovers on 30 August and was sidelined for a month.[18][19][20] This led "Stags" boss Adam Murray to sign Alex Iacovitti on loan from Nottingham Forest to provide cover at centre-back.[21] After returning to fitness he was sent off for a second bookable offence in a 4–0 loss at Portsmouth.[22] After extending his loan spell at Field Mill until the end of the 2016–17 season, Howkins soon suffered an injury that kept him out for two months.[23] He ended the campaign with a total of 20 appearances to his name.[24] Speaking in February, manager Steve Evans said that Howkins had "been excellent in all honesty... he's got a lot to do to become a Premier League player but he's on the right track".[25]
On 12 August 2017, Howkins signed a six-month loan deal with League Two team Cambridge United.[4] A hamstring injury kept him of out action for a month, before he made his debut, coming on as a late second-half substitute, in a 2–1 defeat at former club Mansfield Town on 23 September.[26] He made only one start for Shaun Derry's "U's", in a 1–0 defeat to Southampton U23s at the Abbey Stadium on 3 October.[27]
On 31 January 2018, he returned to League Two on loan at Port Vale until the end of the 2017–18 season.[28] He was one of three centre-backs signed by manager Neil Aspin within the space of 48 hours.[29] He impressed for the "Valiants" and Aspin stated his intention to try to bring Howkins back to Vale Park for the following season.[30] However, he missed the first half of the 2018–19 season with a knee injury, but said that upon returning to fitness "training with the likes of Gayle and Rodriguez has benefited me a lot".[31] He did return on loan to Port Vale on 31 January 2019, ironically the day after Aspin resigned as manager.[32] However, injury problems meant that he featured only three times under new manager John Askey and returned to West Brom on 30 April.[33][34]
Newport County
On 11 June 2019, Howkins joined League Two club Newport County on a two-year contract; "Exiles" manager Michael Flynn said that "Kyle is someone I've kept my eye on for almost over 2 years and even tried signing him on loan in the past. It's a fantastic deal for us because he's got a promising future ahead of him".[35][36] On 3 August, he made his debut for Newport in the opening game of the season, a 2–2 draw with Mansfield Town at Rodney Parade.[37] He scored his first goal for the "Ironsides" on 17 August, in a 1–0 home win over Plymouth Argyle.[38] On 29 November, he had a nasty clash of heads with Maldon & Tiptree striker Charlee Hughes and had a fit after falling to the ground; he suffered a fractured skull and was out of action for six weeks.[39][40] The 2019–20 was ended early in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England.[41]
Howkins played the opening four games of the 2020–21 campaign before he was sidelined with a hamstring injury and fell out of Michael Flynn's first-team plans, having fallen behind David Longe-King, Matthew Dolan, Mickey Demetriou, Ashley Baker, Scot Bennett and Joe Woodiwiss in the pecking order.[41] On 21 January 2021, Howkins joined National League side Solihull Moors – managed by former West Brom coach James Shan – on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[42] On 4 June 2021 it was announced that he would leave Newport County at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract.[43][44]
Hereford
After spending just over two years out recovering from an ACL injury, on 7 July 2023, Howkins returned to football at a semi-professional level by signing for National League North club Hereford. He had trained with the club for three weeks before signing and featured in their first pre-season friendly.[45] He made his debut at Edgar Street in the opening league fixture of the 2023–24 season and went on to play 37 games in all competitions.[46] He signed a contract extension in May 2024 to keep him at Hereford until the end of the 2024–25 season.[47]
Howkins was named on the National League North Team of the Week for his performance in a 1–0 win over Chorley on 14 December.[48]
Career statistics
As of match played 17 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition