Ben Bailey

Name:Ben Bailey

Born:Feb 3rd, 1991

Position:Defender

Joined the club:Youth Team

Previous Club(s):Sutton Coldfield (loan)

Ben Bailey is sponsored by:

Player Profile

A graduate from the successful youth system at the club, Ben followed in the footsteps of fellow defenders Tom Marshall and Danny Harvey in making the jump to first team action during the 2007-08 campaign – making four appearances on the subs bench towards the end of the season.

When the club appointed Dean Edwards as manager, Ben continued to be named on the bench before getting his first league start for the club against Marine in March 2009, a game in which he was named man of the match. His good form continued through to the end of the season and he was rewarded with a new deal to stay at the club for the 2009-10 season.

The start of the season saw a bright start from Ben with him leading the goal scoring charts as one of the main targets on set-pieces and seeing him secure his place in the starting line-up for the majority of the campaign. His consistency during the business end of the season in particular earned him the captain’s armband in the home game against Banbury United.

The 2010-2011 season saw Bailey start strongly, putting in a number of excellent performances across the defensive line, at both centre and right back. However the return of Decio Gomes and a switch in formation saw him lose his place in the team, though he returned to action with another Man of the Match performance in the Southern League Cup Final 1st leg at Hemel Hempstead. This performance saw Bailey given another opportunity in the heart of the Pitmen’s defence – an opportunity he took with both hands, as he remained in the side right through to the heartbreaking league playoff final.

Ben was one of only a handful of 2011-12 players that remained at the club when the 2012-13 season began but he would find himself on the bench until the 70th minute of the club’s third game of the season. A man of the match performance against rivals Stafford Rangers followed and from then on, the central defender was a near ever present in the side. As well as towering defensive performances, Ben proved himself as an attacking threat as he ended the season as the club’s joint 5th goalscorer with 11 goals in all competitions, including the equaliser in the Staffordshire Senior Cup Final win against Rushall Olympic.
His best season to date saw him rewarded with a near clean sweep at the end of season awards night, as he collected the Supporters’, Supporters Association’s, Players’ and Manager’s Player of the Season awards.

Ben’s reward for a superb campaign was a new contract to tie him to the club for the forthcoming challenge of Skrill North in 2013-2014. As expected, Bailey made the step up with ease, contributing heavily to the Pitmen’s excellent start to life back at step two and enjoying another consistent season at centre back. Bailey became the club’s longest serving player in 2014 after Elliott Durrell’s departure to Wrexham, agreeing a new deal to extend his stay at Keys Park into a seventh season in June 2014

Bailey’s superb form at the heart of the Hednesford defence was rewarded in February 2015,as league sponsors Vanarama named Bailey as the league’s player of the month for January 2015 after a series of peerless displays for the side

Player Stats