Graham Benstead

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football biography Graham Mark Benstead (born 20 August 1963) is an English retired professional footballer who made over 110 appearances as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Brentford. He also played League football for Sheffield United, Colchester United, Norwich City and was capped by England at youth and semi-pro level. Benstead is goalkeeping coach at Frimley Green.[1]

Club career

Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City (1981–1988)

Born in Aldershot, Hampshire, Benstead began his career as a part-time player at Wimbledon and then entered the youth system at Queens Park Rangers.[2]Template:Sfn He signed his first professional contract in 1981.Template:Sfn He had to wait until 8 January 1983 to make what would be his only appearance for the club, which came with a start in a 3–2 FA Cup third round defeat to West Bromwich Albion.[3] After a loan spell with Norwich City late in the 1984–85 season, Benstead joined the newly relegated Second Division club at the end of the campaign for an initial £10,000 fee, with up to £35,000 in add-ons.[4]

After promotion straight back to the First Division in 1985–86 and in the face of competition from new £100,000 signing Bryan Gunn, Benstead began the 1986–87 season as Norwich City's first-choice goalkeeper, but a shoulder injury suffered in November 1986 effectively ended his Carrow Road career.[4] After loan spells with Colchester United and Sheffield United, he joined the latter club on a permanent contract for a £35,000 fee in 1988.Template:Sfn

Sheffield United and Brentford (1988–1993)

Benstead was a regular for Sheffield United during the 1988–89 season, at the end of which the club celebrated promotion to the Second Division after a second-place finish.Template:Sfn[5] He lost his place to Simon Tracey during the 1989–90 season and made just one further appearance for the club before moving to Third Division Brentford in July 1990 for a £60,000 fee,[6] with a further £10,000 to be paid after 25 appearances.Template:Sfn Benstead had a successful first season with Brentford, missing just one match, keeping 23 clean sheets and winning the club's Supporters' and Players' Player of the Year awards.[7][8]Template:Sfn Despite suffering from hamstring and knee injuries,Template:Sfn things were even better during the 1991–92 season, when the Bees finished the campaign as champions of the Third Division.[8][9]

Despite missing four months of the 1992–93 First Division season with knee ligament damage and a hamstring injury,Template:Sfn Benstead made 32 appearances during the campaign,[8] which ended with relegation straight back to the Second Division.[9] Benstead rejected the new contract offered to him during the 1993 off-season and was made available for loan.Template:Sfn He failed to see eye-to-eye with new manager David Webb and made just seven early-1993–94 season appearances before joining Conference high-flyers Kettering Town on loan in October 1993.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The deal was made permanent in December 1993, with Benstead signing on a free transfer.Template:Sfn Benstead made 144 appearances during just over three seasons at Griffin Park.Template:Sfn

Non-League football and return to Brentford (1993–1997)

Benstead's 18 months with Conference club Kettering ended with second and sixth-place finishes respectively and he dropped down to the Southern League Premier Division to move to Northamptonshire rivals Rushden & Diamonds in June 1995.[10][11] He had an excellent 1995–96 season, helping the club to the Premier Division title and promotion to the Conference.[11][12] Benstead made just seven appearances during the 1996–97 season and had a non-playing spell with Kingstonian,[13] before making a surprise return to Brentford in July 1997, as player/goalkeeping coach on a week-to-week contract.[11][14]Template:Sfn Minor surgery required by first-choice goalkeeper Kevin Dearden meant that Benstead made his second debut for the club in a 3–1 defeat to York City on 11 October 1997.Template:Sfn[15] He made one further appearance in an FA Cup first round replay versus former club Colchester United on 25 November,[15] before being released by new manager Micky Adams in January 1998.Template:Sfn

Return to non-League football (1997–2004)

Benstead joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Basingstoke Town in 1998 and wound down his career with spells at Chertsey Town, Farnborough Town and Stevenage Borough.Template:Sfn

International career

Benstead was capped once by England youth and won three caps for England Semi-Pro in 1994.[14][16][17]

Coaching career

Benstead has worked as a goalkeeping coach at Brentford, Basingstoke Town, Chertsey Town, Farnborough Town, Stevenage Borough and Frimley Green.[1]Template:Sfn[18] He served as caretaker manager of Farnborough Town for one match and in 2004 was assistant to manager Graham Westley at Stevenage Borough.[18][19]

Personal life

Benstead works as a self-employed painter and decorator.[20]

Career statistics

Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

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
Queens Park Rangers 1982–83[3] Second Division 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 1 0
Norwich City (loan) 1984–85[21] First Division 1 0 — — — 1 0
Norwich City 1986–87[21] First Division 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
1987–88[21] First Division 2 0 0 0 — 0 0 2 0
Total 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 0
Colchester United (loan) 1987–88[22] Fourth Division 18 0 0 0 0 0 1Template:Efn 0 19 0
Brentford 1990–91[8] Third Division 45 0 3 0 4 0 9Template:Efn 0 61 0
1991–92[8] Third Division 37 0 1 0 2 0 2Template:Efn 0 42 0
1992–93[8] First Division 25 0 1 0 2 0 4Template:Efn 0 32 0
1993–94[8] Second Division 5 0 — 2 0 — 7 0
Total 112 0 5 0 10 0 15 0 142 0
Rushden & Diamonds 1995–96[11] Southern League Premier Division 39 0 6 0 — 6Template:Efn 0 51 0
1996–97[11] Conference 6 0 0 0 — 1Template:Efn 0 7 0
Total 45 0 6 0 — 7 0 58 0
Brentford 1997–98[15] Second Division 1 0 1 0 0 0 — 2 0
Total 113 0 6 0 10 0 15 0 144 0
Basingstoke Town 1997–98[23] Isthmian League Premier Division 7 0 — — — 7 0
1998–99[24] Isthmian League Premier Division 12 0 6 0 — 4Template:Efn 0 22 0
Total 19 0 6 0 — 4 0 29 0
Farnborough Town 2000–01[25] Isthmian League Premier Division 0 0 1 0 — 3Template:Efn 0 4 0
2001–02[25] Conference 5 0 0 0 — 3Template:Efn 0 8 0
2002–03[26] Conference 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0
Total 5 0 1 0 — 6 0 12 0
Stevenage Borough 2002–03[26] Conference 0 0 — — — 0 0
2003–04[27] Conference 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0
2004–05[28] Conference 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0
Career total 182 0 19 0 10 0 32 0 281 0

Template:Notelist

Honours

Sheffield United

Brentford

Rushden & Diamonds

Individual

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Sheffield United F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  6. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g h Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ a b Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  10. ↑ Kettering Town F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  11. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Rushden & Diamonds F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ a b c Template:Soccerbase season
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ a b c Template:WorldFootball.net
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ a b Template:Soccerbase season
  27. ↑ Template:Soccerbase season
  28. ↑ Template:Soccerbase season

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

  • Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  • Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

External links

Template:Brentford F.C. Player of the Year

Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Graham_Benstead&oldid=3507538"