- Ben Thornley
Infobox Football biography
playername = Ben Thornley
fullname = Benjamin Lindsay Thornley
height = convert|5|ft|8|in|m|2|abbr=on
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1975|4|21|df=y
cityofbirth =Bury
countryofbirth =England
currentclub =Wilmslow Albion
clubnumber =
position = Winger
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1993–1998
1995
1996–1998
1998–2001
2001–2002
2002–2003
2003–2004
2004
2005–2006
2006–2007
2007–
clubs = Manchester United
→ Stockport County (loan)
→ Huddersfield Town (loan)
Huddersfield Town
Aberdeen
Blackpool
Bury
Halifax Town
Bacup Borough
Salford City
Wilmslow Albion
caps(goals) = 009 (0)
010 (1)
012 (2)
127 (8)
030 (3)
012 (0)
005 (0)
003 (0)
00? (?)
00? (?)
00? (?)
nationalyears = 1996
nationalteam = England U-21
nationalcaps(goals) = 003 (0)
pcupdate = 12:16, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 12:16, 8 October 2008 (UTC)Benjamin Lindsay Thornley (born
21 April 1975 ) inBury ) is an English footballer who currently plays for Wilmslow Albion in theEast Cheshire Sunday Football League Division two.He is most widely known for his career as a youth and reserve team player at Manchester United, where he played in the left wing position from 1991 to 1998 (becoming a professional in 1992 after helping United win the
FA Youth Cup ) but was occasionally used as a striker.Thornley made his debut for United on
26 February 1994 as a substitute in thePremier League match against West Ham United which ended in a 2-2 draw atUpton Park .A tricky right-footed left winger who was highly regarded by Alex Ferguson and at one point was expected to break into the first-team at Old Trafford. Although he did make nine league appearances for United serious injuries prevented him from making the expected impact at first-team level. The most notable injury came the 1993-94, when he suffered knee ligament damage in a reserve game against Blackburn Rovers due to a reckless tackle by opponent defender
Nick Marker . That injury kept him out of action for over a year.In 1996, he won three caps for England at U-21 level.
After a loan spell at Stockport County, Thornley finally left United on a free transfer in
May 1998 and went on to play 127 games for Huddersfield Town, scoring eight goals. FromJune 1999 untilNovember 2000, he was playing under former Manchester United team-mateSteve Bruce , who was Huddersfield's manager. When Bruce was dismissed, his successor was another former Manchester United player -Lou Macari , who had left United before Thornley joined them.Thornley's spell at Huddersfield brought mixed fortunes. In his first season they finished 10th in Division One and in his second they finished eighth (being in contention for a playoff place right up to the last game of the season), but in his final campaign they suffered relegation to Division Two.
In August 2001 he signed a two-year deal at Aberdeen. [Cite news
title = Thornley wins deal with Aberdeen
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aberdeen/1470251.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date =2001-08-02
accessdate = 2008-03-12] He joined Blackpool on an 18-month contract in November 2002, [Cite news
title = Blackpool bag Thornley
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/blackpool/2524655.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date =2002-11-28
accessdate = 2008-03-12] but was released from his contract at the end of the 2002–03 season. [Cite news
title = Blackpool release nine
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/blackpool/2996103.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date =2003-05-02
accessdate = 2008-03-12]Thornley started 2003–04 at Bury, but joined Halifax Town on non-contract terms in March 2004. [Cite news
title = Thornley joins Halifax
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/halifax_town/3523625.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date =2004-03-01
accessdate = 2008-03-12] He then joined the non-league scene with Bacup Borough where he was joined by formerManchester United F.C. team-mate David May. He spent a season with Bacup Borough before joiningSalford City F.C. at the beginning of 2006. [Cite news
title = Salford sign Ben Thornley
url = http://www.salfordadvertiser.co.uk/sport/s/208/208331_salford_sign_ben_thornley.html
publisher = Salford Advertiser
date =2006-01-19
accessdate = 2008-03-12]Ben is currently playing for Wilmslow Albion in the
East Cheshire Sunday Football League Division Two. Thornley has a younger brother, named Rod, who currently plays forWitton Albion F.C. in the Unibond Premier League.References
External links
*soccerbase|id=7944|name=Ben Thornley
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