Clark Kent may have been a reporter rather than a bank worker and he tended to dress up rather than dress down when switching into superhero mode, but there was definitely something Superman-esque about Todd Howarth on April 7th 2012.
The Perth local had had to be patient in terms of getting his professional football career underway, working a day job in banking while establishing himself as a standout at State League level for several years before eventually being picked up by Glory in 2009.
Left-footed, athletic and versatile enough to play either at the back or in midfield, he duly became a valuable if somewhat understated member of first Dave Mitchell’s and then Ian Ferguson’s squad, making 40 starts in his first two seasons and scoring four goals.
With the Glory roster strengthened heading into the 2011/12 campaign, it looked as though Howarth might find first-team opportunities harder to come by, but again he proved his worth and would feature in the matchday squad for every game that season, bar one.
And it was a season that no Glory fan of a certain vintage will ever forget.
Fergie’s side won just once in ten games between late October and the first week of January, only to then embark upon a remarkable run which saw them claim 25 points from 11 games, culminating in a 4-2 thumping of Melbourne Victory in the final round of the regular season.
That sparkling resurgence in form saw Glory secure a third-place finish and a Week One Finals home clash with Melbourne Heart who were swatted aside to the tune of 3-0.
Next to head west were Wellington Phoenix who had finished one place and three points behind Glory and were to prove a far, far tougher nut to crack.
Brimming with confidence, Rickie Herbert’s men arrived in Perth early for the winner-takes-all showdown and although they fell behind to an emphatic finish from Bas van den Brink after 18 minutes, quickfire goals from Chris Greenacre and Manny Muscat saw them hit the front early in the second half.
With their Finals dreams in serious danger of evaporating before their eyes, Glory rallied and responded through Billy Mehmet, the former St Mirren man volleying home after fine approach work from Shane Smeltz.
Nine minutes later, Fergie turned to his bench and replaced the largely ineffectual Andrezinho with Howarth, thereby starting a chain of events which would lead inexorably to one of the club’s most iconic moments of the A-League era.
With neither side able to muster a third goal inside the regulation 90, into extra-time we went and Fergie again made a change, this time introducing another local product, Scott Neville, who was destined to play a key role in the drama that was to follow.
112 minutes had been played when Danny Vukovic’s long punt upfield was headed on into Neville’s path, with the tired-looking Phoenix defence slow to react.
Spotting a gap in the visitors’ backline just outside the box, Howarth made a beeline for it, timing his run perfectly to latch on to the pass which Neville had managed to nudge through Muscat’s legs.
The home fans held their collective breath for the fraction of a second which it took Howarth to glance at Mark Paston as he rushed out from the Phoenix goal in a desperate attempt to make the block.
But it was too late to retrieve the situation, the Glory man remaining ice cool, opening up his body and slipping the ball home with his trusty left foot.
Cue, as they say, scenes.
Howarth tore away to celebrate at full pelt, seemingly intent on heading to Northbridge to make an immediate start on the celebrations.
Off came the shirt and twirling it around his head like a Hills Hoist in a force nine gale, he was only halted when his ecstatic team mates managed to catch up with him close to the corner flag.
There were still ten or so long, tense minutes to endure, but Howarth was not to be denied his glorious moment and further wild celebrations ensued on both the pitch and in the stands when referee Peter Green at last sounded the final whistle.
The goal hero went on to start in Glory’s subsequent penalty shootout victory over the Mariners and the Grand Final against Brisbane Roar, with that ill-fated clash at Suncorp Stadium rather sadly proving to be the final time he wore the famous purple.
Over the course of his 82 ALM appearances for the club, reliability and hard work were very much Howarth’s trademarks.
But if he was Clark Kent in 81 of those games, on that single, magical Saturday night against Wellington, he truly was Superman.
#ONEGlory
