Ben Whitfield

Benjamin Michael Whitfield (born 28 February 1996) is an English professional footballer for National League club Torquay United. He can play as an attacking midfielder or as a winger.

Ben Whitfield
Personal information
Full name Benjamin Michael Whitfield[1]
Date of birth (1996-02-28) 28 February 1996[2]
Place of birth Bingley, England[2]
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[3]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder; winger
Club information
Current team
 Torquay United
Number 34
Youth career
2002–2012 Bradford City
2012 Silsden
2012–2013 Guiseley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Guiseley 0 (0)
2014–2018 AFC Bournemouth 0 (0)
2015–2016 → Kidderminster Harriers (loan) 29 (6)
2016–2017 → Yeovil Town (loan) 34 (2)
2017–2018 → Port Vale (loan) 37 (4)
2018–2019 Port Vale 30 (4)
2019– Torquay United 45 (10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:45, 2 January 2021 (UTC)

He spent time in the youth teams at Bradford City and Silsden, before making his first team debut for Guiseley in December 2013. He signed with AFC Bournemouth the following month, and spent most of the 2015–16 season on loan at Kidderminster Harriers – where he was named as the club's Player of the Year – and the 2016–17 season on loan at Yeovil Town and 2017–18 season on loan at Port Vale. He joined Port Vale on a permanent basis in August 2018, though left the club 13 months later to join non-league Torquay United. He was named as Torquay's Player of the Year for 2019–20.

Career

Guiseley

Whitfield was part of the Bradford City academy until the age of 16.[4] Upon his release from Bradford's youth system Whitfield joined the Silsden under-19 side,[5] before signing for the Guiseley academy.[6] On 3 December 2013, Whitfield made his debut for Guiseley in a 2–1 victory over Selby Town in the quarter-finals of the West Riding County Cup.[7] Two weeks later he joined Huddersfield Town on trial.[8]

Bournemouth

In January 2014, Whitfield signed for Championship side AFC Bournemouth on an 18-month contract.[9][10] Having been linked to a number of Premier League and English Football League clubs, Whitfield stated that manager Eddie Howe "was a big part of why I decided to come down here because of the way he coaches and his teams play".[11]

Kiddiminster Harriers loan

On 12 October 2015, Whitfield joined National League side Kidderminster Harriers on an initial one-month loan.[12] He was signed by football development director Colin Gordon shortly before the arrival of new manager Dave Hockaday.[13] Whitfield quickly made an impression at Aggborough, and made a goalscoring debut the following day for Kidderminster in a 2–2 draw at Altrincham.[14] The loan deal was extended into the new year, and Whitfield said he appreciated the support shown to him by Harriers fans.[15] On 15 February, his loan deal was extended until the end of the season.[16] He also signed a new one-year contract with Bournemouth.[17] Whitfield scored a total of six goals in 31 appearances whilst on loan for Kidderminster, but although he could not help them avoid relegation at the end of the 2015–16 season, his performances earned him the club's Player of the Year and the Supporters Player of the Year awards.[18][19]

Yeovil Town loan

On 25 August 2016, Whitfield joined League Two side Yeovil Town on loan until January 2017.[20] He made his Football League debut two days later as a second-half substitute in a 4–1 defeat at Doncaster Rovers.[21] He scored his first goal for Yeovil at Stevenage on 12 November, when his stoppage-time volley was enough to salvage a point in a 2–2 draw.[22] On 5 January, Whitfield and his fellow Bournemouth loanee Matt Butcher's loans were extended until the end of the 2016–17 season.[23] He received the first booking of his career on 1 April, when he was dismissed for an elbow on Tom Miller in a 2–0 defeat to Carlisle United at Huish Park.[24] Manager Darren Way said that the sending off would prove to be a learning curve for the player.[25] Whitfield scored three goals from 42 appearances across the 2016–17 campaign as the "Glovers" posted a 20th-place finish.[26]

Port Vale

On 4 August 2017, Whitfield joined League Two side Port Vale on loan until January 2018.[27] He maintained a first-team place under Michael Brown's stewardship, and held on to his place under new manager Neil Aspin, and his well taken volley secured Aspin his first win as "Valiants" manager in a 3–1 victory over Cheltenham Town at Vale Park on 14 October; the goal was later shortlisted for the League Two goal of the month award.[28][29] However he injured his ankle seven days later in a 1–0 win at Exeter City and was ruled out of action for five weeks.[30][31] Despite interest from other clubs, his loan at Port Vale was extended until the end of the 2017–18 season after the club's initial transfer offer of around £35,000 was not completed.[32][33] However, by his own admission he was unable to live up to the high standards he set in December, describing his form as "inconsistent" in the second half of the campaign.[34] On 30 March, he scored the winning goal in a crucial 2–1 home victory over Chesterfield.[35] He was offered a new contract by Bournemouth in May 2018.[36]

On 30 August 2018, Whitfield signed a two-year contract with Port Vale.[37] Aspin said that the deal to sign Whitfield in January had fallen through due to the player's agent, adding that: "He's changed his agent now and in football and in life you've got to give people another chance."[38] He was in and out of the first-team as he struggled for consistency under both Aspin and new manager John Askey, and ended the 2018–19 season on the transfer-list after he scored four goals in 33 appearances.[39][40] In July 2019 he went on trial at Cheltenham Town.[41] His contract with Port Vale was terminated by mutual consent on 3 September.[42] The player's agent, Dan Fletcher, took to Twitter to say that "Sometimes you have to do everything you can to get a player away from a manager, even if that means taking a step back to go several steps forward".[43]

Torquay United

After leaving Port Vale, Whitfield immediately signed for National League club Torquay United.[44] He scored seven goals in 32 appearances for the "Gulls" in the 2019–20 season, which was permanently suspended on 26 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, with United in 15th-place.[45] He won the club's Player of the Year award and was described as "a great asset to the squad" by manager Gary Johnson.[46]

Career statistics
As of match played 2 January 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Guiseley 2013–14[47] Conference North 0000—1[lower-alpha 1]010
AFC Bournemouth 2013–14[48] Championship 000000—00
2014–15[49] Championship 000000—00
2015–16[18] Premier League 000000—00
2016–17[26] Premier League 000000—00
2017–18[50] Premier League 000000—00
Total 000000—00
Kidderminster Harriers (loan) 2015–16[18] National League 29610—1[lower-alpha 2]0316
Yeovil Town (loan) 2016–17[26] League Two 34220006[lower-alpha 3]1423
Port Vale (loan) 2017–18[50] League Two 37400002[lower-alpha 3]0394
Port Vale 2018–19[51] League Two 30410002[lower-alpha 3]0334
2019–20[52] League Two 0000000000
Total 678100040728
Torquay United 2019–20[52] National League 28621—2[lower-alpha 2]0327
2020–21[53] National League 17421—1[lower-alpha 2]0205
Total 451042—305212
Career totals 16824820014119027
  1. Appearance in West Riding County Cup
  2. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  3. Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Individual

References
  1. "Premier League – Squad List 2016/17" (PDF). Premier League. p. 3. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  2. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2018/2019". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. "Player Profiles – Ben Whitfield". Yeovil Town F.C. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  4. "AFC Bournemouth: Ben Whitfield and Jack Simpson handed new deals". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 6 March 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  5. "Transfer is a bowl of Cherries for Ben". Keighley Kicks. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  6. "Guiseley midfielder Ben Whitfield seals switch to Bournemouth". Telegraph & Argus. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  7. "Lions edge past Robins into semis". Guiseley A.F.C. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  8. Jackson, Andrew (17 December 2013). "Huddersfield Town take teenage Guiseley midfielder Ben Whitfield on trial". Huddersfield Examiner. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  9. "Yann Kermorgant: Bournemouth sign Charlton striker". BBC Sport. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  10. "Cherries snap up prospect Whitfield". A.F.C. Bournemouth. 31 January 2014. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  11. "Transfer news: Ben Whitfield makes move to Bournemouth". Sky Sports. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  12. "Harriers add more young guns". The Shuttle. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  13. "Colin Gordon and Dave Hockaday will collaborate over player signings". Kidderminster Shuttle. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  14. "Altrincham 2–2 Kidderminster Harriers". BBC Sport. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  15. "Kidderminster Harriers: Ben Whitfield delighted by fans' reaction". BBC Sport. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  16. "Kidderminster Harriers: Whitfield, Fane & Ngwatala agree deals". BBC Sport. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  17. Mitchell, Andy (6 March 2016). "AFC Bournemouth: Ben Whitfield and Jack Simpson handed new deals". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  18. "Games played by Ben Whitfield in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  19. "Ben Whitfield joins from AFC Bournemouth". Yeovil Town F.C. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  20. "Izale McLeod: Yeovil Town sign striker and Bournemouth's Ben Whitfield". BBC Sport. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  21. "Doncaster Rovers 4–1 Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  22. "Stevenage 2-2 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 12 November 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  23. "Yeovil Town: Bournemouth pair Ben Whitfield and Matt Butcher extend loan deals". BBC Sport. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  24. "Yeovil Town 0-2 Carlisle United". BBC Sport. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  25. "Whtfield will learn from dismissal - Way". ytfc.net. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  26. "Games played by Ben Whitfield in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  27. "Port Vale sign Michael Tonge and agree loan for Bournemouth winger Ben Whitfield". BBC Sport. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  28. Baggaley, Michael (15 October 2017). "Ben Whitfield determined to make a name for himself at Port Vale". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  29. Baggaley, Michael (17 November 2017). "Port Vale boss Neil Aspin keen to extend Ben Whitfield's loan from Bournemouth". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  30. Spinks, Martin (24 October 2017). "Port Vale blow as impressive youngster is ruled out". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  31. Smith, Peter (26 October 2017). "Vale star Ben Whitfield expected to be out for more than a month". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  32. Baggaley, Michael (10 May 2018). "Port Vale player ratings 2017/18: How ALL the Valiants' 39 players ranked". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  33. Wales, Keith (5 January 2018). "Port Vale confirm new loan deal for Premier League youngster". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  34. McLellan, Max (8 February 2018). "Ben Whitfield: "I need to find the form I found in December"". port-vale.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  35. Baggaley, Michael (3 September 2019). "Ben Whitfield's message to Port Vale fans as he leaves club". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  36. Baggaley, Michael (20 May 2018). "Former Port Vale loan player Ben Whitfield offered new Bournemouth deal". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  37. "Ben Whitfield & Lewis Hardcastle: Port Vale add youngsters to squad". BBC Sport. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  38. Smith, Peter (30 August 2018). "Vale double transfer swoop as Whitfield returns and Hardcastle arrives". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  39. Sherwin, Phil (19 May 2019). "From local heroes who impressed to lost boys: Port Vale class of 2018/19 rated". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  40. Baggaley, Michael (22 May 2019). "Ben Whitfield and Connell Rawlinson told they can leave Port Vale". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  41. Baggaley, Michael (30 July 2019). "Port Vale's Ben Whitfield given chance to impress by League Two rivals". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  42. Baggaley, Michael (3 September 2019). "Ben Whitfield leaves Port Vale". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  43. Baggaley, Michael (4 September 2019). "Port Vale boss responds to agent's criticism after Ben Whitfield's exit". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  44. "Ben Whitfield Signs For United". Torquay United F.C. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  45. "National League clubs vote to end regular season immediately". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  46. Thomas, Dave. "Player of Year Ben says Torquay United move was 'best in career'". torbayweekly.co.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  47. "Guiseley A.F.C., 2013–14, Appearances / Goals". Guiseley A.F.C. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  48. "Games played by Ben Whitfield in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  49. "Games played by Ben Whitfield in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  50. "Games played by Ben Whitfield in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  51. "Games played by Ben Whitfield in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  52. "Games played by Ben Whitfield in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  53. "Games played by Ben Whitfield in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
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