Ben Close
Ben Easton Close (born 8 August 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Portsmouth.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ben Easton Close[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 August 1996[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Portsmouth, England[3] | ||
| Playing position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Portsmouth | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Portsmouth | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014– | Portsmouth | 116 | (13) |
| 2015 | → Poole Town (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2017 | → Eastleigh (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:22, 7 March 2020 (UTC) | |||
Career
Portsmouth
Born in Portsmouth, Close signed a two-year scholarship deal after spending many years in Portsmouth's youth categories.[3] He was an unused substitute for a first team game on 3 May 2014 for a league game against Plymouth Argyle.[4]
On 9 May 2014, Close was offered a one-year professional contract with the club, alongside Bradley Tarbuck.[5] On 12 September 2014, he made his professional debut, coming on as a 43rd minute substitute for Nigel Atangana in a 3–1 away win against Yeovil Town, for the campaign's Football League Trophy.[6]
Close made his League Two debut on 16 September, again from the bench in a 3–0 home success against Dagenham & Redbridge.[7] After playing only 4 games for Pompey in 2016–17, on 31 January 2017, he joined National League side Eastleigh on loan until the end of the season.[8]
On 26 May 2017 Close signed a new one-year contract at Pompey, with the club holding an option for an additional year.[9] On 17 December, after becoming a starter under new manager Kenny Jackett, he extended his contract until 2020.[10]
On 2 March 2019, Close scored his first professional brace in a 5–1 home victory over Bradford City A.F.C,. [11]
Career statistics
- As of 7 March 2020[12]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Portsmouth | 2014–15 | League Two | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | League One | 40 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 2 | |
| 2018–19 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 46 | 9 | ||
| 2019–20 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 44 | 6 | ||
| Total | 116 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 162 | 17 | ||
| Poole Town (loan) | 2014–15 | SFL - Premier Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Eastleigh (loan) | 2016–17 | National League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Career total | 130 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 2 | 179 | 18 | ||
Honours
References
- "Notification of shirt numbers: Portsmouth" (PDF). English Football League. p. 56. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
- "Ben Close - profile". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- "Eight get blues apprenticeships". www.portsmouthfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- Portsmouth 3–3 Plymouth; BBC Sport, 9 May 2014
- Nine players released; Portsmouth FC, 9 May 2014
- "Yeovil 1-3 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- "Portsmouth 3–0 Dag & Red". BBC Sport. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- "Close loaned to Eastleigh". Portsmouth FC. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- "New Deal for Close". Portsmouth FC. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- "Close Extends Pompey Contract". Portsmouth FC. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- "Portsmouth 5-1 Bradford City". 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- Ben Close at Soccerway
- Williams, Adam (31 March 2019). "Portsmouth 2–2 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
External links
- Ben Close at Soccerbase
