Wikipedia

Paul Benson

For the federal judge, seePaul Benson (judge).

Paul Andrew Benson(born 12 October 1979) is an English former professionalfootballerandcoachwho played as astriker;he last played forSouthern LeaguePremier Division Central clubBedford Town.

Paul Benson
Personal information
Full name Paul Andrew Benson[1]
Date of birth (1979-10-12)12 October 1979(age 45)[2]
Place of birth Southend,England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Bedford Town(coach)
Youth career
Southend United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2005 White Ensign 59 (96)
2005–2010 Dagenham & Redbridge 175 (70)
2010–2012 Charlton Athletic 33 (10)
2012–2014 Swindon Town 31 (12)
2012–2013 →Portsmouth(loan) 7 (2)
2013 →Cheltenham Town(loan) 16 (4)
2013–2014 →Luton Town(loan) 36 (17)
2014–2016 Luton Town 41 (5)
2016–2017 Dagenham & Redbridge 32 (5)
2017–2018 Boreham Wood 14 (1)
2018 →Bedford Town(loan) 13 (8)
2018–2019 Bedford Town 23 (10)
Total 480 (240)
International career
2007 England C 1 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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Dagenham & Redbridge

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Born inSouthend,Essex,[2]Benson was on the books ofSouthend Unitedas a youth player. He was signed byDagenham & RedbridgemanagerJohn Stillon 1 July 2005 after Still saw him play forWhite Ensignof theEssex Olympian League,where he scored 96 goals in 59 league matches (107 goals in 65 matches in all competitions) in just two seasons with the club.[3]Benson's first season with Dagenham was frustrating as he was not a regular first-team player, scoring only oneConference Nationalgoal, and was out for three months with a broken leg.[4]However, the2006–07 seasonsaw a complete reversal, as he earned a spot in Dagenham's first-team and finished the season as both the team and Conference National top scorer with 28 goals, leading the club's successful campaign forpromotiontoLeague Two.[5]The following year, Dagenham's first in theFootball League,Benson scored nine goals, though was injured for half the season.

The2008–09 seasonsaw Benson end in the top five goal scorers in League Two and come second in the player of the season poll for Dagenham. At the end of the2009–10 season,Benson scored a goal atWembley Stadiumas Dagenham defeatedRotherham Unitedin the play-off final to clinch a place inLeague Onefor the2010–11 season.[6]

Charlton Athletic

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On 31 August 2010, Benson completed a move to League One clubCharlton Athletic.[7]After making 27 appearances and scoring 10 goals for Charlton in his first season, Benson's first-team chances were limited behind Charlton strikersPaul Hayes,Bradley Wright-Phillips,Jason EuellandYann Kermorgant.Notts Countymade a bid to sign him, which Charlton accepted, although the move collapsed after they failed to agree personal terms.[8][9]On 2 January 2012, Benson transferred toSwindon Townas part of a swap deal in exchange forLeon Clarke.[10]

Swindon Town

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Benson joined a Swindon team chasing promotion to League One. His arrival coincided with a 10-match winning run which was the platform from which theRobins'won the title under the guidance ofPaolo Di Canio.Benson's first goal for Swindon came when he scored the winner in theirFA Cupthird-round victory overPremier LeagueteamWigan Athletic,although replays showed he was in an offside position. Benson's goalscoring form was rewarded on 9 March 2012 when he was namedLeague Two Player of the Monthfor February after scoring five goals in five matches and being widely praised by manager Paolo Di Canio.[11]Di Canio, in a post-match press conference, was quoted as saying that "Paul Benson at 70% is better than any other striker in this league at 150%".[12]On 28 April 2012, he scored twice as Swindon beatPort Vale5–0 and were crowned champions of League Two in the process.[13]

On 15 November 2012, Benson joined League One clubPortsmouthon an initial one-monthloan.[14]His first goal came in a Boxing Day home league match againstCrawley Town.[15]In the following match he netted again, againstYeovil Town.[16]He returned to Swindon in January 2013.[17]

Benson then joined League Two clubCheltenham Townon 29 January 2013 in a loan move until the end of the2012–13 season.[18]He made his debut four days later in a 2–1 victory overTorquay United.[19]Benson scored his first goal for the club on 12 February, tapping the ball past goalkeeperPaul Smithin another 2–1 victory, this time against Southend United.[20]He ended the season with four goals in 18 appearances for the club.[21]

Luton Town

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On 26 August 2013, Benson signed forConference PremierclubLuton Townon a season-long loan, with the possibility of a permanent transfer taking place in the summer of 2014.[22]This move saw him link back up with his former Dagenham & Redbridge manager John Still, now in charge of Luton. Benson made his debut for the club on 31 August 2013, winning apenaltyin a 2–0 away win overKidderminster Harriers.[23]He was named as the Conference Premier Player of the Month in December 2013 after scoring four goals in four matches and contributing to numerous other goals with his hold-up play.[24]Benson played a key role as Luton won promotion to League Two, scoring 17 league goals and assisting 14 others throughout the2013–14 season.[25]His strike partnership withAndre Grayresulted in the two scoring 47 goals between them – almost half of Luton's total league goals.

After his successful loan spell at Luton during the 2013–14 season, Benson signed a permanent two-year contract with the club on 22 July 2014.[26]Benson scored his only league goal of the season in a 3–0 win overMansfield Townon 29 November 2014, but also broke his leg during the match.[27]He returned to the squad later in the season and made a total of 24 appearances in all competitions.[28]

On 10 May 2016, it was announced that Benson would not have his contract renewed.[29][30]He left the club upon the expiry of his contract.[31]

Return to Dagenham & Redbridge

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Benson re-signed for Dagenham & Redbridge who were newly relegated into theNational League,on an initial one-year contract on 6 August 2016.[32]He made his second debut three days later as a 77th-minutesubstitutein a 3–0 defeat away toChester.[33]His first goal came in a 2–1 win away toDover Athleticon 3 December, and this was followed up with a goal in the following match, a 2–1 defeat at home toWorthingin theFA Trophyfirst round.[34]Benson played in both legs of the play-off semi-final defeat toForest Green Rovers,losing 3–1 on aggregate,[35][36]and finished the season with 37 appearances and six goals.[34]He was released by Dagenham & Redbridge when his contract expired at the end of2016–17.[37]

Boreham Wood and Bedford Town

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On 13 June 2017, Benson signed for National League clubBoreham Woodon a one-year contract, with the option of a one-year extension.[38]He joinedSouthern LeagueDivision One East clubBedford Townon 26 January 2018 on loan until the end of2017–18.[39]Benson finished the loan with eight goals from 13 appearances.[40]He was not retained by Boreham Wood after the end of the season.[41]Benson re-signed for Bedford Town as aplayer-coachon 26 June.[42]Since Benson arrived to Bedford until the summer of 2019, he worked at the club's academy, coaching the U13 squad.[43]From the summer 2019, he was hired as assistant to professional development phase lead coach, Dan Walder, helping with the U16s and U18s on a daily basis.[43]

Career statistics

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As of end of 2018–19 season
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dagenham & Redbridge 2005–06[44] Conference National 26 1 2 0 — 3[a] 1 31 2
2006–07[45] Conference National 46 28 1 0 — 2[b] 2 49 30
2007–08[46] League Two 22 6 2 3 0 0 2[c] 0 26 9
2008–09[47] League Two 33 18 3 1 1 0 3[c] 2 40 21
2009–10[48] League Two 45 17 1 1 1 0 4[d] 4 51 22
2010–11[49] League One 3 0 — 1 0 — 4 0
Total 175 70 9 5 3 0 14 9 201 84
Charlton Athletic 2010–11[49] League One 32 10 4 0 — 3[c] 0 39 10
2011–12[50] League One 1 0 — 2 1 0 0 3 1
Total 33 10 4 0 2 1 3 0 42 11
Swindon Town 2011–12[50] League Two 22 11 2 1 — 2[c] 0 26 12
2012–13[21] League One 9 1 0 0 3 2 1[c] 0 13 3
Total 31 12 2 1 3 2 3 0 39 15
Portsmouth(loan) 2012–13[21] League One 7 2 — — — 7 2
Cheltenham Town(loan) 2012–13[21] League Two 16 4 — — 2[e] 0 18 4
Luton Town(loan) 2013–14[34] Conference Premier 36 17 2 1 — 0 0 38 18
Luton Town 2014–15[28] League Two 21 1 1 1 1 0 1[c] 0 24 2
2015–16[51] League Two 20 4 1 0 2 1 0 0 23 5
Total 77 22 4 2 3 1 1 0 85 25
Dagenham & Redbridge 2016–17[34] National League 32 5 2 0 — 3[f] 1 37 6
Boreham Wood 2017–18[34] National League 14 1 0 0 — 0 0 14 1
Bedford Town(loan) 2017–18[40] Southern LeagueDivision One East 13 8 — — — 13 8
Bedford Town 2018–19[40] Southern League Division One Central 23 10 3 1 — 8[b] 3 34 14
Total 36 18 3 1 — 8 3 47 22
Career total 421 144 24 9 11 4 34 13 490 170
  1. ^One appearance and one goal inFootball League Trophy,two appearances inFA Trophy
  2. ^abAppearances in FA Trophy
  3. ^abcdefAppearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  4. ^One appearance in Football League Trophy, three appearances and four goals inLeague Two play-offs
  5. ^Appearances in League Two play-offs
  6. ^One appearance and one goal in FA Trophy, two appearances in National League play-offs

Honours

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Dagenham & Redbridge

Swindon Town

Luton Town

Individual

References

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  1. ^"EFL: Club retained and released lists published".English Football League. 23 June 2016.Retrieved12 January2018.
  2. ^abcHugman, Barry J., ed. (2010).The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11.Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 43.ISBN978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. ^"Dagenham & Redbridge player profiles".Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. Archived fromthe originalon 9 April 2008.
  4. ^"Daggers marksman aiming high".BBC Sport. 1 March 2007.Retrieved18 March2007.
  5. ^"Dag & Red 2–1 Aldershot".BBC Sport. 7 April 2007.Retrieved13 March2016.
  6. ^abWeeks, Jonny (30 May 2010)."Daggers reach League One for first time with victory over Rotherham".The Guardian.London.Retrieved17 September2016.
  7. ^"Charlton Athletic swoop to sign three new players, including former Addick Jonathan Fortune".KentOnline.KM Group. 31 August 2010.Retrieved17 September2016.
  8. ^O'Rourke, Pete (21 July 2011)."Magpies agree Benson fee".Sky Sports.Retrieved14 February2012.
  9. ^"Benson deal falls through".Sky Sports. 26 July 2011.Retrieved14 February2012.
  10. ^Rose, Gary (30 December 2011)."Benson to complete Town move".Swindon Advertiser.Retrieved1 July2016.
  11. ^ab"Benson named Player of the Month".The Football League. 9 March 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 8 January 2014.
  12. ^Rose, Gary (12 March 2012)."Di Canio would not swap Benson".Swindon Advertiser.Retrieved13 March2016.
  13. ^ab"Swindon 5–0 Port Vale".BBC Sport. 28 April 2012.Retrieved28 April2012.
  14. ^"Pompey bring duo on loan".The News.Portsmouth. 15 November 2012.Retrieved15 November2012.
  15. ^"Portsmouth 1–2 Crawley".BBC Sport. 26 December 2012.Retrieved26 December2012.
  16. ^"Portsmouth 1–2 Yeovil".BBC Sport. 29 December 2012.Retrieved29 December2012.
  17. ^"Benson denied Pompey stay".The News.Portsmouth. 11 January 2013.Retrieved11 January2013.
  18. ^Payne, Ned (29 January 2013)."Benson joins Robins".Swindon Advertiser.Retrieved13 March2016.
  19. ^"Cheltenham 2–1 Torquay".BBC Sport. 2 February 2013.Retrieved13 March2016.
  20. ^"Southend 1–2 Cheltenham".BBC Sport. 12 February 2013.Retrieved13 March2016.
  21. ^abcd"Games played by Paul Benson in 2012/2013".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved13 March2016.
  22. ^"Hatters net Benson as 'imminent' deal comes to fruition".Luton Today.26 August 2013.Retrieved17 September2016.
  23. ^Scott, Ged (31 August 2013)."Kidderminster 0–2 Luton".BBC Sport.Retrieved1 September2013.
  24. ^ab"December awards for duo".Luton Town F.C. 30 December 2013.Retrieved28 June2017.
  25. ^"Paul Benson Player Profile".ESPN FC.Retrieved1 July2016.
  26. ^"Paul Benson signs permanent Luton contract".Luton Town F.C. 22 July 2014.Retrieved28 June2017.
  27. ^"Luton Town: Hatters striker Paul Benson breaks leg in win over Mansfield Town".Bedfordshire on Sunday.Bedford. 29 November 2014.Retrieved6 August2015.
  28. ^ab"Games played by Paul Benson in 2014/2015".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved13 March2016.
  29. ^"Hatters release list published".Luton Town F.C. 10 May 2016.Retrieved28 June2017.
  30. ^"Luton Town: Jake Howells and Alex Lawless among nine released".BBC Sport. 10 May 2016.Retrieved10 May2016.
  31. ^"Jake and Alex bid fond farewell to the Town".Luton Town F.C. 30 June 2016.Retrieved28 June2017.
  32. ^Keating, Ned (6 August 2016)."Dagenham & Redbridge sign strikers Paul Benson and Corey Whitely".Barking & Dagenham Post.Ilford.Retrieved8 August2016.
  33. ^"Chester 3 Dagenham & Redbridge 0: John Still's Daggers left feeling Blue after humbling defeat".Barking & Dagenham Post.Ilford. 9 August 2016.Retrieved24 May2017.
  34. ^abcdefg"P. Benson".Soccerway.Perform Group.Retrieved12 January2018.
  35. ^"Dagenham & Redbridge 1–1 Forest Green Rovers".BBC Sport. 4 May 2017.Retrieved24 May2017.
  36. ^Shepka, Phil (7 May 2017)."Forest Green Rovers 2–0 Dagenham & Redbridge (agg: 3–1)".BBC Sport.Retrieved24 May2017.
  37. ^Keating, Ned (24 May 2017)."Dagenham & Redbridge icon Paul Benson to leave Essex club after released list is announced".Barking & Dagenham Post.Ilford.Retrieved24 May2017.
  38. ^"Paul Benson: Boreham Wood sign former Dagenham & Redbridge striker".BBC Sport. 13 June 2017.Retrieved15 June2017.
  39. ^Whitney, Steve (26 January 2018)."Benson coup for Eagles".Pitchero Non-League.Retrieved28 January2018.
  40. ^abc"Player profiles: Paul Benson".Aylesbury United F.C.Retrieved2 May2019.
  41. ^"Squad taking shape".Boreham Wood F.C. 26 June 2018.Retrieved28 June2018.
  42. ^"Eagles announce flurry of new signings including ex-Hatters Benson and Abbey".Bedford Today.30 June 2018.Retrieved1 August2018.
  43. ^abHatters add ex-players Benson and Forbes to the coaching staff,lutontoday.co.uk, 28 June 2019
  44. ^"Paul Benson season details 2005/2006".Dagenham & Redbridge Mad.Digital Sports Group. Archived fromthe originalon 14 April 2016.
    "Forest Green Rovers 2–3 Dagenham & Redbridge".The Football Archives.22 October 2005.Retrieved13 March2016.
  45. ^Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2007).Non-League Club Directory 2008.Kingsbridge: Tony Williams Publications. pp. 182–183.ISBN978-1-869833-57-2.
  46. ^"Games played by Paul Benson in 2007/2008".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved13 March2016.
  47. ^"Games played by Paul Benson in 2008/2009".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved13 March2016.
  48. ^"Games played by Paul Benson in 2009/2010".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved13 March2016.
  49. ^ab"Games played by Paul Benson in 2010/2011".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved13 March2016.
  50. ^ab"Games played by Paul Benson in 2011/2012".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved13 March2016.
  51. ^"Games played by Paul Benson in 2015/2016".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Retrieved28 June2017.
  52. ^Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2007).Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2007–2008.London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 627, 642–643.ISBN978-0-7553-1664-9.
  53. ^"Team of the Week (27/02/2012)"(PDF).The Football League. 27 February 2012.Retrieved12 February2017.
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