Adam Pearson has paid tribute to Hull FC hooker Danny Houghton after his 450th career appearance. The Black and Whites legend reached the milestone against Castleford Tigers last Friday night, with 447 of those games coming for his hometown club.
Houghton also played three times for England Knights back in 2011 and 2012, and currently sits fourth on the club’s all-time appearance chart, with just Harold Bowman (451), Mick Scott (459) and Ned Rogers (499) sitting above him. Houghton overtook Tommy Harris (445) earlier this month.
Pearson, meanwhile, presented Houghton with his milestone shirt in the team run last Thursday, reminiscing on the cup wins, as well as some of Houghton’s other career achievements. He also joked about his contract negotiations, with the hooker, who enjoyed a lucrative testimonial year back in 2018, representing himself.
Prior to the shirt unveiling, Pearson made the following statement: “Danny Houghton has contributed much to the team with 450 games and just three England Knights appearances. It’s an incredible accomplishment.
“Six-time Hitman, Dream Team ’16, and ’17 Challenge Cup winners. For us at that time, he was an amazing talisman. He appears the same now. He continues to lead from the front and perform well.
“He truly is a club legend. He’s the richest man in the room, we’ve negotiated contracts together for eight times, and he’s never employed an agency. Fantastic work, Danny.”
Houghton continued by saying that it has been a “privilege” to play for Hull FC for such a long time. He made his professional rugby league debut in 2007 as a teenager against London, and he is currently in his 18th season of playing the sport. He is currently 35 years old.
“It’s been a privilege to play so many times for this great club,” Houghton said. “It’s about trying to get this club back on track, though, not about that. We’ve had a difficult time lately, but we’re all working together to put this team back on the path it deserves.”
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