Harry Benns


Harry Francis Benns is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
He turned professional at Port Vale in May 2018, making his first-team debut that same month. He joined Stafford Rangers on loan for the first half of the 2018–19 season, and ended the campaign on loan at Kidsgrove Athletic. Released by Port Vale at the end of the 2018–19 season, he then joined Hyde United.

Playing career

Port Vale

Benns came through the youth-team at Port Vale and was given a professional contract in May 2018 after being named as Youth Player of the Year for the 2017–18 season. Manager Neil Aspin gave him his debut on the final day of the 2017–18 season, a 5–0 defeat at Cambridge United on 5 May, though he entered the game as a 75th-minute substitute for Ben Whitfield when the "Valiants" were already four goals down.
On 23 August 2018, Benns joined Northern Premier League Premier Division side Stafford Rangers on an initial month-long loan deal – later extended until the end of the 2018–19 season; coach Gary Brabin said that "it is an opportunity for him now to play men's football and get to know what it is about". On 8 September, he scored his first goal in senior football, providing Rangers with the winner in a 2–1 victory at Grimsby Borough in the first round of qualification for the FA Cup. He was named as Stafford Rangers Player of the Month for September. On 20 March 2019, he joined Northern Premier League Division One West club Kidsgrove Athletic on loan until the end of the season. Vale manager John Askey confirmed that he would not be offering Benns a new contract on 16 May.

Non-league

Benns joined Northern Premier League Premier Division side Hyde United after arriving at Ewen Fields on the first day of the 2019–20 pre-season. He made 16 appearances for the "Tigers", scoring one goal, with his last appearance coming on 10 December.

Style of play

Speaking in May 2018, Port Vale youth-team coach Mike Ede described Benns as a creative midfielder who "is clever, has the ability to score goals and will take shots from places where you don't think" and who "can play off to the side or as a number 10".

Statistics