Born in Kingston upon Hull, he has played his entire career for his hometown club, and represented the England Knights internationally.

[citation needed] The start of the 2008 season saw Houghton gain a regular place in the first team, often being used from the bench.

won the Challenge Cup for a second year in a row with an 18–14 win over the Wigan Warriors at Wembley Stadium,[9] a repeat of the 2013 final that he had also played in.

in the 2020 Super League season including the club's semi-final defeat against Wigan as they got to within one game of the grand final.

[17] He was called up by England for the first time in 2017 for a training camp as part of the team's preparations for the upcoming World Cup,[18] but is still uncapped.