Jake Bennett

Position
Defender
Current Team
Mickleover F.C.

February 22nd 1996

Like so many others, Jake started playing for his hometown club Telford AFC as a 15 year old, making two first team starts before going out on loan to Market Drayton.

He was initially spotted by Mickleover management during a friendly match against Market Drayton, and with Sports then pushing for promotion back to the Premier Division of the NPL. He was made an offer which he readily accepted to become a Sports player in December 2014.

After being part of the squad for his first half season, he became a first choice defender over his two year stay and began to receive offers of trials from League Clubs.

He joined Sheffield Utd in 2016 and making his first team debut in the EFL Cup in 2017, plus other first appearances in some friendly matches.

He was then due to go on loan to Chesterfield, but played against them in a friendly and collected a cruciate ligament injury, putting him out of action for 10 months.

A further thigh injury on his comeback meant he never got to play for Chesterfield, and following his release by Sheffield Utd in October 2019, he had a brief at Alfreton Town, before joining Coalville Town in December 2019 in the Southern League Premier Division Central.

He opted to return to Mickleover during the summer, of 2020 as he was still looking to rebuild his career and looked back fondly at his previous two years with the club.

“My lasting memory was winning the title here, the first medal I had ever won in football.”

Initially first choice right back, before another serious knee and then a thigh injury put him of out action for most of the last two seasons, but he came back strongly at the end of last season and is fighting fit to keep his place in the starting line-up.