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Ben Garrity

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Not to be confused with Ben Geraghty.

Ben Garrity
Garrity captaining Port Vale in October 2023.
Personal information
Full name Benjamin Matthew Garrity[1]
Date of birth (1997-02-12) 12 February 1997 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth Croxteth, Liverpool, England[3]
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Port Vale
Number 8
Youth career
2004–2013 NSC Junior
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013 Oyster Martyrs
2013 Formby 7 (0)
2013–2018 Lower Breck
2018–2020 Warrington Town 46 (12)
2020–2021 Blackpool 0 (0)
2020–2021 → Oldham Athletic (loan) 29 (2)
2021– Port Vale 130 (24)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:34, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Benjamin Matthew Garrity (born 12 February 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Port Vale. He is also the club captain.

He began his career playing non-League football at Merseyside-based clubs NSC Junior, Oyster Martyrs, Formby and Lower Breck, winning Lower Breck's Player of the Season award in 2016–17. He joined Northern Premier League Premier Division side Warrington Town in 2018 and impressed enough to win a move to Blackpool in January 2020, turning professional in the English Football League shortly before the age of 23. He spent the 2020–21 season on loan at Oldham Athletic and was sold on to Port Vale in June 2021. He helped the club to win promotion out of League Two via the play-offs in 2022 and was also named as the club's Player of the Year. He won the award again in 2024.

Career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Garrity spent his early career with NSC Junior, playing for the club in the Walton & Kirkdale Junior Football League from 2004 to 2013.[4] He then moved on to Oyster Martyrs, a Sunday league team in Liverpool. In October 2013, Garrity began[5] a short spell at North West Counties Football League side Formby.[6] Despite only making seven appearances, he played in four different competitions; league, Liverpool Senior Cup,[7] NWCFL League Challenge Cup,[6] and the NWCFL First Division Trophy.[8] He then moved to Lower Breck in the Liverpool County Premier League.[4] He made 29 appearances for Lower Breck in the 2016–17 season, scoring eight goals and making eight assists , and was named as the club's Player of the Season.[9] He scored seven goals and made five assists from 28 appearances in the 2017–18 campaign.[10]

"I was playing Sunday and Saturday league football since I was a kid. I went into academies, but not for six weeks or anything like that, just little ones and I wouldn't go back when I was younger. I'm not saying I would have kicked on and been in those academies, I just didn't really like getting told what to do when I was younger.

— Garrity reflecting on his youth in 2021.[11]

Warrington Town

[edit]

Garrity was signed by Warrington Town in 2018.[12] He signed a new two-year deal with the club in June 2019 despite attracting interest from higher-level clubs and was described as "irreplaceable" by manager Paul Carden.[13] He spent 18 months with Warrington in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, scoring 17 goals in 54 league and cup games for the club, including two goals in their 'super play-off' defeat to King's Lynn Town at the end of the 2018–19 season.[14][15][16] He missed just two league games during his time at Cantilever Park and was the club's top-scorer mid-way through the 2019–20 campaign.[17] Upon leaving the club he said that he loved his time at Warrington and was disappointed not to have helped them achieve promotion.[12] He became the first Warrington player to move directly into the English Football League in more than 20 years.[18]

Blackpool

[edit]

Garrity turned professional with Blackpool on 31 January 2020, signing an 18-month contract, after Blackpool paid an undisclosed fee reported to be in the region of £25,000.[19][20] The transfer saw him move up four divisions to join the League One side.[21] Manager Simon Grayson said the club had tracked Garrity for several months.[22] He scored on his debut for the club, in a friendly game against Crewe Alexandra.[23]

He was allowed to leave Bloomfield Road on loan after telling manager Neil Critchley he was desperate to play first-team games.[24] On 2 September 2020, Garrity moved on loan to Oldham Athletic for the 2020–21 season after spending two weeks on trial at Boundary Park.[25][26] He made his debut for the club three days later in the EFL Cup, opening the scoring in a 3–0 victory over Carlisle United, heading home a Bobby Grant free kick.[27] On 17 October, he scored his first League Two goal in a 2–1 win away at Bolton Wanderers.[28] He added further goals against Hampton & Richmond Borough in the FA Cup and Barrow in the league, leading him to be described as a "lucky charm" for the club by the Warrington Guardian's Matt Turner.[29][30][15] By January he was one of seven loan signings made by manager Harry Kewell, which left him at a disadvantage as EFL rules meant only five loanees could be named in matchday squads and four of the loanees were seen as key players.[31] He also missed two months of the season due to injury, but was praised by new manager Keith Curle for his work rate upon his return to action in early April.[32] Garrity ended his loan spell with the "Latics" with four goals in 38 appearances across all competitions.[2]

Though Garrity never made a competitive appearance for Blackpool, the club took an option to extend his contract shortly before his sale to Port Vale.[33]

Port Vale

[edit]
Garrity playing for Port Vale in August 2022

On 4 June 2021, it was announced that Garrity would join League Two side Port Vale for an undisclosed fee.[34] Manager Darrell Clarke described him as a "young, hungry and ambitious footballer with great energy and fitness levels".[35] He scored his first goals for the "Valiants" on 11 September, his brace securing a 2–1 victory away at Swindon Town; Clarke praised Garrity for his serious professionalism after the match, pointing out that "he has tests to make sure he is getting the right food into his system".[36] He went on to score the only goal of the game against Scunthorpe United and was nominated for September's Player of the Month award.[37] On 7 December, he was played as a forward after Vale suffered an injury crisis that left them short of recognized strikers, and scored two goals to secure a 2–1 win at Bristol Rovers.[38] He was nominated for March's Player of the Month award after "driving Vale forward in the absence of captain Tom Conlon", scoring three goals and creating another.[39] He started in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium as Vale secured promotion with a 3–0 victory over Mansfield Town; Michael Baggaley of The Sentinel wrote that "[Garrity] never stopped running, as has been the case all season... a huge threat in the attacking midfield role".[40][41] At the club's end of season awards, Garrity was named as Fan's Player of the Year, Player's Player of the Year and Supporter's Club Player of the Year.[42]

Garrity was linked with a move to League One rivals Peterborough United in August 2022.[43] He remained an ever-present for Vale in the first quarter of the 2022–23 season, playing in a deeper defensive role which restricted his opportunities to get forward and score goals.[44] He maintained his consistency into February, providing an assist for Ellis Harrison to score the opening goal of a 2–1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers.[45] However, he was sidelined with a calf injury at the beginning of March.[46] He signed a two-year contract extension in May; David Flitcroft, the club's director of football said that he "epitomises our core values. His appetite for continual improvement in every aspect of his life and his game makes him an outstanding leader and a pivotal member of the group".[47]

Garrity warming up at Vale Park in May 2022.

He scored the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win over Reading at Vale Park on 12 August 2023 and was named on the EFL League One Team of the Week.[48][49] Supporters named him as the club's Player of the Month for September after he scored three goals and provided an assist in five games.[50] Speaking in November, manager Andy Crosby said that he felt Garrity was "probably the best in the league at... the way he arrives in that near-post area... he does it time and time again whether it is from free play or set plays".[51] Garrity was named in the EFL Team of the Week when he scored the opening goal and "made a total of two tackles, six clearances, one key pass and one successful dribble in a strong all-round display" in a 3–0 win over Blackpool on 29 December.[52] He was again voted as the club's Player of the Month.[53] However, a recurrence of his calf problems the following month saw him ruled out of action for an extended period.[54] He finished the 2023–24 season as the club's top-scorer with 12 goals as Vale suffered relegation back into League Two.[55] He was voted Player of the Year by supporters, for a second time, at the end of the 2023–24 season, and remarked that "It's been a season full of ups and downs and unfortunately ended in a way we didn't want, but I can assure you that we will be doing everything we can to bounce back".[56]

New manager Darren Moore appointed Garrity as the club captain in August 2024.[57] He signed a one-year contract extension later in the month.[58] He was named on the EFL Team of the Week after scoring both goals against Salford City on the opening day of the 2024–25 season.[59] He was deployed in a more defensive role as the season progressed, however, playing in a central midfield partnership with Ryan Croasdale.[60] He started the first 14 league games of the campaign before being sidelined through injury at the end of October.[61] The team struggled in his absence, and by December they had won just two of the 24 league games that Garrity was not involved in since promotion had been achieved in 2022.[62]

Style of play

[edit]

Garrity is an attacking box-to-box midfielder with good energy and fitness levels.[63] He has a strong aerial presence, scoring many of his goals from headers.[64] He has stated that "I am not as good as other people so I know I need to work harder than them, and then over time I will get better".[11] His ability to arrive late in the box and score goals has seen him play as an emergency striker.[51]

Personal life

[edit]

Garrity worked as an engineer for five years before becoming a professional footballer in 2020.[11] He completed an apprenticeship working in plant mechanics, working on the maintenance of cherry pickers and access machines.[65]

Career statistics

[edit]
As of match played 26 October 2024
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
Formby 2013–14[6] North West Counties League
First Division 		3 0 0 0 0 0 4[a] 0 7 0
Warrington Town 2018–19[66] Northern Premier League
Premier Division 		21 2 0 0 0 0 3[b] 4 24 6
2019–20[14] Northern Premier League
Premier Division 		25 10 4 1 0 0 1[c] 0 30 11
Total 46 12 4 1 0 0 4 4 54 17
Blackpool 2019–20[67] League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020–21[68] League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Oldham Athletic (loan) 2020–21[68] League Two 29 2 3 1 2 1 4[d] 0 38 4
Port Vale 2021–22[69] League Two 43 12 3 0 1 0 6[e] 0 53 12
2022–23[70] League One 34 1 0 0 1 0 2[d] 0 37 1
2023–24[71] League One 39 9 4 2 4 0 3[d] 1 50 12
2024–25[72] League Two 14 2 0 0 0 0 1[d] 0 15 2
Total 130 24 7 2 6 0 12 1 155 27
Career total 208 38 14 4 8 1 24 5 254 48
  1. ^ 1 appearances in Liverpool Senior Cup, 2 appearances in NWCFL First Division Trophy, 1 appearances in NWCFL League Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in the play-offs
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  4. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  5. ^ 3 appearances in EFL Trophy and 3 appearances in play-offs

Honours

[edit]

Port Vale

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 23rd June 2020: Oldham Athletic" (PDF). 23 June 2020. p. 32. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Ben Garrity at Soccerway
  3. ^ O'Neill, Connor (27 May 2022). "From Parkview to Wembley - Ben Garrity on his rise up the football pyramid". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Local Lad Bolsters Blackpool's Attack Force". Alt Valley. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Atherton LR 1-3 Formby". Southport Visiter. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Fixtures & Results 2013/4", The Squirrel Review: Formby FC Matchday Programme, 26 February 2014, retrieved 10 June 2022
  7. ^ "Ashton Town 2-0 Formby", Ashton Town FC, 20 November 2013, retrieved 10 June 2022
  8. ^ "Formby 2-0 Ahterton Collieries". Southport Visiter. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Profile". www.lowerbreckfc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Profile". www.lowerbreckfc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Baggaley, Michael (12 September 2021). "Modest Ben Garrity's journey from non-league to Port Vale matchwinner". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  12. ^ a b Turner, Matt (6 February 2020). "Garrity leaves Yellows with happy memories but some unfinished business". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  13. ^ Turner, Matt (20 June 2019). "Massive coup for Warrington Town as Garrity signs new deal". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Warrington Town | Appearances | Ben Garrity | 2019–2020 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  15. ^ a b Turner, Matt (26 November 2020). "Why ex-Warrington Town star Garrity is proving to be his new club's lucky charm". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  16. ^ Turner, Matt (4 June 2019). "Former Warrington Town midfielder on the move to another Football League club". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  17. ^ Gordon, James (31 January 2020). "Garrity gets Football League move". Warrington Town. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Ben Garrity becomes Warrington's first Football League star in 20 years". The Non-League Football Paper. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Blackpool sign Howe, Moore & Garrity". BBC Sport. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  20. ^ Turner, Matt (31 January 2020). "Blackpool FC sign Ben Garrity from Warrington Town". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  21. ^ Scrafton, Matt (7 February 2020). "Ben Garrity thrilled to make stunning step-up from Warrington to Blackpool". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  22. ^ "Blackpool Bring In Garrity". Blackpool F.C. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  23. ^ Scrafton, Matt (5 February 2020). "Deadline day signing Ben Garrity scores on first Blackpool appearance in behind-closed-doors game". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  24. ^ Scrafton, Matt (9 September 2020). "Blackpool boss Neil Critchley honest and open with loaned pair Ben Garrity and Joe Nuttall". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  25. ^ "Midfielder Garrity joins Oldham on loan". BBC Sport. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  26. ^ "SIGNING: Garrity Completes Loan Move". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Oldham Athletic 3–0 Carlisle United". BBC Sport. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  28. ^ "Bolton Wanderers 1–2 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  29. ^ "Oldham overcome Hampton & Richmond test". BBC Sport. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  30. ^ "Barrow 3–4 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  31. ^ Lord, Adam (8 February 2021). "How Harry Kewell expects Oldham's loan situation to play out". The Oldham Times. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  32. ^ Geldard, Suzanne (3 April 2021). "Oldham boss Keith Curle's praise for fit-again Blackpool loanee". The Oldham Times. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  33. ^ Scrafton, Matt (4 June 2021). "Blackpool midfielder Ben Garrity joins League Two side for undisclosed fee". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  34. ^ "Port Vale complete Ben Garrity signing from Blackpool". Port Vale F.C. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  35. ^ "Port Vale sign Blackpool's Garrity". BBC Sport. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  36. ^ Baggaley, Michael (11 September 2021). "Port Vale boss Darrell Clarke delivers verdict on win at Swindon". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  37. ^ Baggaley, Michael (5 October 2021). "Port Vale's Clarke and Garrity face rivals in monthly awards". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  38. ^ Baggaley, Michael (8 December 2021). "Modest Ben Garrity making case for new Port Vale role". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  39. ^ "Sky Bet League Two Player of the Month: March nominations". www.efl.com. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  40. ^ a b Aloia, Andrew (28 May 2022). "Vale beat 10-man Mansfield to reach League One". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  41. ^ Baggaley, Michael (28 May 2022). "Port Vale player ratings from Wembley win over Mansfield". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  42. ^ a b Mounteney, Luke (13 June 2022). "Player of the Year Awards 2021/22 | The Winners". Port Vale F.C. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  43. ^ Baggaley, Michael (12 August 2022). "Port Vale boss Clarke baffled by Ben Garrity transfer link". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  44. ^ "Ben Garrity | "Collectively we are improving every week"". Port Vale F.C. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  45. ^ "February Reels in Motion Player of the Month Nominations". Port Vale F.C. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  46. ^ Baggaley, Michael (2 April 2023). "Port Vale confirm Ben Garrity and Lewis Cass injury setbacks". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  47. ^ Broome, David (25 May 2023). "Ben Garrity signs two-year contract extension with Port Vale". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  48. ^ "Port Vale 1-0 Reading". BBC Sport. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  49. ^ @SkyBetLeagueOne (14 August 2023). "📋 The #SkyBetLeagueOne Team of the Week! 📈 Based on @WhoScored ratings. #EFL" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  50. ^ "Ben Garrity voted as September's Reels in Motion Player of the Month". Port Vale F.C. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  51. ^ a b Baggaley, Mike (10 December 2023). "Port Vale earn battling Exeter win to ease the pressure". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  52. ^ "See the EFL Team of the Week". EFL. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  53. ^ "Ben Garrity voted as December's Reels in Motion Player of the Month". Port Vale F.C. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  54. ^ Baggaley, Mike (7 January 2024). "Mixed emotions for Vale after Charlton thriller". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  55. ^ Baggaley, Mike (29 April 2024). "Rating the squad, the retained list and looking ahead". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  56. ^ a b "2023/24 Player of the Year | Ben Garrity | Port Vale FC". Port Vale FC. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  57. ^ "Darren Moore confirms Port Vale's Captain and Vice Captains for the 2024/25 Season | Port Vale FC". Port Vale FC. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  58. ^ "Ben Garrity Pens One-Year Contract Extension | Port Vale FC". Port Vale FC. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  59. ^ "See who made WhoScored's EFL Team of the Week". EFL. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  60. ^ Baggaley, Mike (23 October 2024). "Vale make it four in a row". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  61. ^ Baggaley, Mike (10 November 2024). "Vale's run ends in controversy". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  62. ^ Baggaley, Mike (9 December 2024). "Searching for the winning formula". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  63. ^ Smith, Peter (4 June 2021). "Port Vale confirm Garrity as transfer window hots up". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  64. ^ McAllister, Josh (8 January 2020). "Top scorer Garrity not panicking". Warrington Town. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  65. ^ The Official Matchday Programme of Port Vale FC Season 2022/23 - Issue 18 (PDF). 4 February 2023. p. 12. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  66. ^ "Warrington Town | Appearances | Ben Garrity | 2018–2019 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  67. ^ "Games played by Ben Garrity in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  68. ^ a b "Games played by Ben Garrity in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  69. ^ "Games played by Ben Garrity in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  70. ^ "Games played by Ben Garrity in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  71. ^ "Games played by Ben Garrity in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  72. ^ "Games played by Ben Garrity in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
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