JORDAN HOUGHTON

Full Name: Jordan Alexander Houghton

Born: 05 November 1995

1. Came from: Chelsea   Went to: Chelsea

1. First game: 12 March 2016   Last game: 30 April 2016

2. Came from: Milton Keynes Dons   Went to:

2. First game: 07 August 2021   Last game: 05 November 2024

Appearances: 162 (130/32)   Goals: 2

A young central midfielder from Chelsea, Houghton joined Derek Adams' promotion chasing squad on loan in March 2016 after injuries had threatened to derail Argyle's campaign.

He had been with the Premier League club since he was seven and made his debut for former Argyle trialist Adrian Viveash’s Chelsea youth team as an under-15 in January 2011. By 2013-14 he featured as a defensive midfielder in the club's FA Youth Cup run, scoring a crucial goal in the final against Fulham at Stamford Bridge to help the club win the tournament. He was then made captain of the under-21 side for the following season, while still a teenager, and signed a four-year professional contract in the summer of 2013.

Originally from Chertsey in Surrey, Houghton signed a loan deal with Argyle until the end of May. The 20-year-old came with previous experience of Home Park, having played for Gillingham in August 2015 while on a half-season loan at the Kent club. In his long journey through the Chelsea development sides, he was also capped by England at under-16, 17 and 20 levels.

Houghton made 10 appearances for Argyle in his loan spell and scored his only goal in a 2-0 victory at Morecambe. He returned to Chelsea and was then loaned to League Two rivals Doncaster Rovers for the 2016-17 season, where he made 36 appearances in Rovers' promotion season before his stay was cut short by a knee injury. However, in August 2017 he returned to the Keepmoat for another loan season and added 40 to his Donny total.

Returning to Stamford Bridge, he was released by Chelsea in the summer of 2018, without playing for the senior side. Newly relegated MK Dons stepped in with a two-year deal, and Houghton helped them back to League One at the first attempt. His contract was extended for a further year in 2020, and in his three seasons at Stadium MK he notched up 107 appearances.

Houghton became Home Park's sixth new face of the summer of 2021, returning five years after his first spell at the club. Manager Ryan Lowe's focus was clear, adding the defensive midfielder to a new goalkeeper (Callum Burton) and four new defenders (James Wilson, Dan Scarr, Macaulay Gillesphey and James Bolton) within five weeks.

His return to Home Park proved to be popular and stabilising for both player and the club, and following the 2021-22 campaign, his contract was extended. He was a near ever-present in his first two seasons back, the second of which saw the club romp to the League One title under Steven Schumacher, and Houghton win a Football League Trophy runners-up medal and a League One winners medal as Argyle returned to the Championship for the first time in 14 years. That season also saw Houghton return to Stamford Bridge to finally play a game in front of a full-house at Chelsea, albeit as a member of Argyle's side, as the Pilgrims lost narrowly and heroically 2-1 to the reigning European Champions after extra time in the FA Cup fourth round.

In June 2023 he signed a new two-year contract following Argyle's promotion to the Championship, and he passed 150 appearances for the club as he headed into the 2024-25 season.