The 17-year-old appeared as an 85th-minute substitute for Burnley yesterday to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Leo Bertos, David Mulligan, Winston Reid, Tommy Smith, Rory Fallon, Chris Killen and Chris Wood in taking part in the competition, just one step below the prestigious Premier League.
The former Young All Whites star rose from the bench to replace Northern Irish international Josh McQuoid as Burnley fell to a 3-1 home loss against Birmingham City at Turf Moor.
Howieson, who represented his country at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico, recently put pen to paper on a two-and-half-year deal with the Lancashire club after reportedly attracting interest from Premier League scouts.
He said he was “over the moon” to sign a professional contract so soon after joining the club’s youth set-up and, despite the interest from higher-ranked outfits, has no plans to go anywhere.
“They’ve been very good ever since I’ve been here,” he said. “I think it’s best that I stay.”
Howieson’s rapid rise at the Clarets is largely due to his form this season for the Burnley academy side, who he helped to the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup, where they lost 3-0 on aggregate to Blackburn Rovers. The Premier League club also has a Kiwi on their books in the form of Howieson’s former Young All Whites team mate Tim Payne.
Blenheim-born Howieson played his youth football for Dunedin club Mosgiel before joining the Asia-Pacific Football Academy in the South Island town of Lincoln. He trialled with Burnley a year ago before signing as an apprentice shortly after the U-17 World Cup.
He has featured regularly for the club’s second-string side and reserves coach Jason Blake was impressed with his efforts in a recent 1-1 draw with Wrexham.
“Three weeks ago, Cameron had chicken pox and has not played an abundance of 90-minute periods,” he told the Burnley website.
“But he has great enthusiasm for the game, and a gracefulness and elegance to the way he plays. In the second half, you’ve got a first year scholar setting the example for everyone else on the pitch and showing what you need to do. That is a massive positive.”
Howieson was not involved in New Zealand’s successful Olympic-qualifying campaign last month in Taupo but may now be on Emblen’s radar as the coach looks to put together his final squad for London 2012.
There are likely to be wholesale changes to the squad from the one that qualified as Emblen will have use of a handful of overseas-based professionals and can also include three over-age players.

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