Gary Bennett (footballer born 1962)

:"For the former defender of Sunderland, among others, see Gary Bennett (footballer born 1961)"Infobox Football biography
playername = Gary Bennett


fullname = Gary Michael Bennett
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1962|9|20
cityofbirth = Kirkby
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height = height|ft=6|in=1
nickname =
position = Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1984-85 1985-88 1988-90 1990-92 1992-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997 1997-99
clubs = Wigan Athletic Chester City Southend United Chester City Wrexham Tranmere Rovers Preston North End Wrexham Chester City
caps(goals) = 0 20 0(3) 0126 (36) 0 42 0(6) 080 0(15) 0121 (77) 0 29 0(9) 0 24 0 (4) 0015 0(5) 0048 0(13)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =

Gary Bennett (born September 20 1962, Kirkby) was a professional footballer in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for six different clubs in the Football League, with the majority of appearances being made for Chester City and Wrexham.

Early Playing Career

Bennett was 23 when he joined Wigan Athletic from playing local football in Preston in October 1984. At the end of the season, Bennett appeared at Wembley Stadium for Wigan in the final of the Freight Rover Trophy, which ended in a 3-1 win over Brentford. However, Bennett was soon on the move as he followed manager Harry McNally to Chester City, where he scored 13 league goals as the club achieved promotion from Division Four.

Bennett scored 23 times in 1986–87 but his season was overshadowed by an incident in an FA Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday that left opponent Ian Knight badly injured. The matter was eventually settled out of court a decade later. [Cite news
title= City settle out of court (see October 14 & 13) | url= http://www.chester-city.co.uk/october97news.asp | publisher= chester-city.co.uk
date= 1997-10-14 | accessdate= 2008-01-03] In November 1988 Bennett moved on to Southend United (scoring against Chester later in the month) but by March 1990 he was back at Chester. He remained there until the end of the 1991–92 season, scoring the winner at Stoke City in April 1992 that effectively sealed Division Three survival for Chester.

Wrexham career

After being released by the club, Bennett joined Chester’s arch rivals Wrexham and enjoyed the most prolific spell of his career. He struck 16 league goals as the club achieved promotion in 1992-93 and then struck 32 and 29 times in the next two seasons. In 1994/95, he scored a penalty against Ipswich, in the F.A. cup 3rd round, to secure a place against Manchester United, at Old Trafford in the 4th round. 'Psycho' as he was known also scored twice in the Welsh Cup Final, at Cardiff Arms Park, to beat Cardiff City 2-1. He always had a fantastic rapport with the Wrexham fans, given his goal-scoring records, and imaginitive goal celebrations. Unsuprisingly, he is very highly regarded by Wrexham supporters, as something of a legend at the Racecourse.

Tranmere Rovers and Preston

He was transferred for £300,000 by Wrexham manager Brian Flynn to Tranmere Rovers in the summer of 1995, and then on toPreston North End,

Second Spell at Wrexham

Bennett returned to Wrexham for the closing stages of the 1996–97 season, and came on as a second half substitute in the F.A. Cup quater final, against Chesterfield.

Return to Chester

He then moved back to Chester in the summer of 1997 for £50,000, registering 12 goals by early November in his first season back. Unfortunately he failed to add any more during the season and he would manage just one more (the winner at his former club Southend in August 1998) before injury forced him to retire from the game in August 1999. [Cite news
title= Benno hangs up his boots (see 18 August) | url= http://www.chester-city.co.uk/august99news.asp | publisher= chester-city.co.uk
date= 1999-08-18 | accessdate= 2008-01-03]

Retirement from playing football

Bennett is now the landlord of a pub in Skelmersdale, and frequently watches Wrexham football club play.

Honours

Wigan Athletic

• Freight Rover Trophy winners: 1984–85

Chester City

• Football League Division Four runners-up: 1985–86 (43 apps, 13 goals)

Southend United

* Football League Division Four promotion as third placed team: 1989–90 (25 apps, 4 goals)

Wrexham

• Football League Division Three runners-up: 1992–93 (35 apps, 16 goals)

• Football League Division Two top-scorer: 1994–95 (29 goals)

• Welsh Cup Winner: 1994–95

Preston North End
* Football League Division Three champions: 1995– 96 (8 apps, 1 goal)

External links

*
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/sport/garybennett.shtml BBC Player Profile]
* [http://www.squarefootball.net/article/article.asp?aid=476 Wrexham's 'Magnificent 7']

References

ources

*cite book | first=Chas | last=Sumner| coauthors= | title=On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City F.C. 1885-1997 | publisher=Yore Publications | location= | year=1997 | editor= | id=ISBN 1-874427-52-6