Ben Fox
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{for | the Canadian composer | Slaight Family Music Lab}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Ben Fox
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|2|1|df=y}}
|birth_place = Burton upon Trent, England
|height = {{height|ft=5|in=11}}
|position = Midfielder
|currentclub = Harrogate Town
|clubnumber = 27
|youthyears1 =
|youthclubs1 =
|years1 = 2016–2021
|clubs1 = Burton Albion
|caps1 = 37
|goals1 = 1
|years2 = 2016–2017
|clubs2 = → Tamworth (loan)
|caps2 = 20
|goals2 = 2
|years3 = 2017
|clubs3 = → Solihull Moors (loan)
|caps3 = 5
|goals3 = 0
|years4 = 2017
|clubs4 = → Tamworth (loan)
|caps4 = 5
|goals4 = 0
|years5 = 2017–2018
|clubs5 = → Gateshead (loan)
|caps5 = 12
|goals5 = 2
|years6 = 2020–2021
|clubs6 = → Barnet (loan)
|caps6 = 0
|goals6 = 0
|years7 = 2021–2022
|clubs7 = Grimsby Town
|caps7 = 32
|goals7 = 1
|years8 = 2022–2025
|clubs8 = Northampton Town
|caps8 = 54
|goals8 = 4
|years9 = 2025–
|clubs9 = Harrogate Town
|caps9 = 0
|goals9 = 0
|club-update = 16:00, 03 January 2025 (UTC)
}}
Benjamin Jake Fox (born 1 February 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for {{English football updater|HarrogaT}} club Harrogate Town.
Fox came through the youth academy at Burton Albion and progressed to the first team where he made 37 league appearances over a 5 year spell. Whilst with Albion he spent time on loan with non-league sides Tamworth, Solihull Moors, Gateshead and Barnet.
Fox moved to Grimsby Town in the summer of 2021 and was part of the team that won promotion to the Football League by winning the National League play offs in 2022. On June 17, 2022, Fox signed a two-year deal with Northampton Town.
Career
=Burton Albion=
Fox was included in the first team squad during the 2016–17 season, and was allocated the number 21 squad number. He was given his debut in the EFL Cup match against Liverpool on 23 August 2016, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute for Lloyd Dyer, a game in which Burton lost 5–0.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37091102|title=Burton Albion 0-5 Liverpool|date=23 August 2016|accessdate=23 August 2016|publisher=BBC Sport}} Fox was given his EFL Championship debut on 17 September 2016, coming on as 77th-minute substitute for Hamza Choudhury in a home game against Brighton & Hove Albion which they lost 1–0.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37324950|title=Burton Albion 0-1 Brighton & Hove Albion|date=17 September 2016|accessdate=17 September 2016|publisher=BBC Sport}} He scored his first goal for Burton in an EFL Cup tie against Cardiff City on 22 August 2017.{{cite web
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40932009
|title=Cardiff 1-2 Burton
|publisher=BBC
|date=22 August 2017 |accessdate=29 August 2017}}
Fox joined Conference North side Tamworth on 1 December 2016, on an initial one-month loan,{{cite web|url=http://www.thelambs.co.uk/news/brewers-midfielder-signs-3791.htm|title=Brewers Midfielder Signs|date=1 December 2016|accessdate=1 December 2016|publisher=Tamworth F.C.}} which was later extended to the rest of the season on 8 February 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk/news/2017/february/ben-fox-stays-with-tamworth-until-the-end-of-the-season/|title=Ben Fox stays with Tamworth until the end of the season|date=8 February 2017|accessdate=8 February 2017|publisher=Burton Albion F.C.}} The following season, he spent time on loan with Solihull Moors, had a second loan spell at Tamworth, and then went on loan for a third time that season, this time at Gateshead.
Fox broke into the first team at Burton in the 2018-19 season, but in July 2019 he was ruled out of action until March 2020 with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49014925|title=Ben Fox: Burton Albion midfielder out until March with knee injury|date=17 July 2019|publisher=BBC Sport}} In December 2020 he joined Barnet on a one-month loan, with a view to an extension until the end of the season.[https://www.barnetfc.com/news/2020/december/ben-fox-makes-the-switch-from-brewers-to-bees/ Ben Fox makes loan switch from Brewers to Bees] Fox scored on his debut in the FA Trophy against Dorking Wanderers, but later received a straight red card for a late tackle in a 3–1 defeat.[https://www.barnetfc.com/news/2020/december/match-pack-dorking/ Match Pack: Dorking Wanderers 3-1 Barnet FC] His suspension, followed by subsequent match postponements, and a change of management at Burton meant this was his only game for the club.{{Cite web|url=https://www.barnetfc.com/news/2021/january/ben-fox-returns-to-burton-albion/|title = Ben Fox returns to Burton Albion}}
On 12 May 2021 it was announced that he would be one of 12 players leaving Burton at the end of the season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk/news/2021/may/1205-RELEASEDLIST/|title=12 PLAYERS TO LEAVE BURTON ALBION AT END OF THEIR CONTRACTS|website=www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk}}
=Grimsby Town=
On 15 June 2021, Fox joined Grimsby Town on a one-year deal {{Cite news|url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/grimsby-town-transfer-news-fox-5532952.amp|title = Grimsby Town sign former Burton Albion midfielder Ben Fox|newspaper = Grimsbylive|date = 15 June 2021}}
Fox earned the man of the match award as The Mariners defeated Solihull Moors 2-1 at the London Stadium in the 2022 National League play-off final.{{cite news | url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/grimsby-town-ratings-solihull-moors-7167271 | title=Grimsby Town player ratings as McAtee and four others star in Solihull comeback | newspaper=Grimsbylive | date=5 June 2022 }}
=Northampton Town=
On 17 June 2022, Fox signed for fellow EFL League Two side Northampton Town having rejected a new deal from Grimsby.{{cite web | url=https://www.ntfc.co.uk/news/2022/june/ben_fox/ | title=Ben Fox Joins Northampton Town }}
On 14 May 2024, the club announced Fox had signed a new contract for a year with the option of a further year.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-14 |title=Northampton Town midfielder Ben Fox signs new contract |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cmj665m544xo |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}
=Harrogate Town=
On 3 February 2025, Fox joined {{English football updater|HarrogaT}} club Harrogate Town on a free transfer on a two-and-a-half year deal .{{cite news |title=Harrogate Town sign 'all-action' midfielder Ben Fox from Northampton Town
|url=https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/harrogate-town-sign-all-action-midfielder-ben-fox-from-northampton-town-4973031 |publisher=Harrogate Advertiser |date=3 February 2025 |accessdate=3 February 2025}}
Career statistics
{{updated|match played 17 December 2024}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National Cup !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="6"|Burton Albion
|2016–17{{soccerbase season|94127|2016|accessdate=19 December 2017}} |1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18{{soccerbase season|94127|2017|accessdate=19 December 2017}}
|Championship |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19{{soccerbase season|94128|2018|accessdate=19 December 2017}}
|27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2Appearances in the EFL Trophy | 0 | 36 | 1 | |
| 2019–20{{soccerbase season|94129|2019|accessdate=19 December 2017}}
|League One |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020–21{{soccerbase season|94130|2020|accessdate=19 December 2017}}
|League One |9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!37 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 2 | |
| Tamworth (loan)
|2016–17{{soccerway|ben-fox/453176|accessdate=19 December 2017}} |20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | ||
| Solihull Moors (loan)
|5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Tamworth (loan)
|National League North |5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 1Appearance(s) in the FA Trophy | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Gateshead (loan)
|National League |12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | ||
| Barnet (loan)
|National League |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Grimsby Town
|National League |32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 4One appearance in FA Trophy, two appearances in National League playoffs | 0 | 38 | 1 | ||
| rowspan="4"|Northampton Town
|2022–23{{soccerbase season|94130|2022|accessdate=20 June 2022}} |22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 4 | |
| 2023–24{{soccerbase season|94130|2023|accessdate=26 July 2023}}
|League One |19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 2024–25{{soccerbase season|94130|2024|accessdate=26 July 2024}}
|League One |13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 1 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!54 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 64 | 5 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!165 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 198 | 13 |
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
Honours
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerbase|id=94127}}
{{Northampton Town F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Ben}}
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Burton Albion F.C. players
Category:Tamworth F.C. players
Category:Gateshead F.C. players
Category:Grimsby Town F.C. players
Category:Northampton Town F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:National League (English football) players