Ben Gerring

DOB: 1st January 1991

Position: Centre-back

Season of first appearance: 2014/15

Season of last appearance: 2014/15

Full Appearances: 14

Substitute: 3

Goals: 2

Also played for:

Weymouth, Bovey Tracey, Kettering Town, AFC Rushden & Diamonds, Cambridge City, Taunton Town, Bideford, Hayes & Yeading United, Gosport Borough, Truro City, Torquay United, Billericay Town, Woking, Bath City, Gloucester City, Tiverton Town

Player Profile:

Burly central defender born in Torbay who began his playing career as a youngster at Plymouth Argyle. He was offered a professional deal in 2009 but never made a first-team appearance.

After his release by Argyle at the end of 2009-10, Ben dropped into non-league football and appeared for a variety of clubs - Weymouth, Bovey Tracey, Kettering Town, AFC Rushden & Diamonds, Cambridge City, Taunton Town, Bideford and Hayes & Yeading United.

In 2014-15, Ben linked up with Gosport Borough but an injury saw him loaned to Bideford. He then returned to Hayes but signed for Truro City in December 2014. He was released by the Cornish side in January 2015 and joined Margate.

His Margate debut was as a sub in a 2-1 defeat at home to Dulwich Hamlet on 17.1.15. Ben then became a regular in defence and also scored twice – in a 5-1 win at home to Hornchurch on 24.3.15 and in a 3-4 defeat at Billericay Town on 9.4.15.

Ben left Margate at the end of the season. He started 2015-16 with another spell at Hayes & Yeading but, in October 2015, joined Torquay United and ended up spending 18 months at Plainmoor.

In 2016-17, he received a six-match ban while playing for Torquay. He originally was given a four-match suspension for two red cards during the season, the second of which came in a 0-0 draw at Gateshead on 1.10.16. However, this was then extended by two matches after Ben admitted making an offensive gesture to the crowd at Gateshead. He was also fined £300.

Truro City signed Ben for 2017-18 and he helped them to the National League South play-offs. His performances earned him a move to big-spending Billericay Town during summer 2018 but first-team opportunities were limited and by September he was back on loan with Truro.

He then switched to Woking of National League South in October 2018. Ben was part of Woking’s run to the Third Round of the FA Cup in 2018-19, playing in their 2-0 defeat at home to Premier League Watford on 6.1.19.

Before the match, Ben had appeared on BBC 5 Live with Watford’s Troy Deeney. Ben had said: "If I didn’t offer some sort of challenge, he (Deeney) is not going to respect me. The biggest way to respect Troy is to put him in Row Z!" Deeney replied: "First thing on Saturday I'm knocking on the manager's door to make sure I'm playing!"

Woking also won promotion via the play-offs to the National League in 2018-19.

In June 2020, while still a Woking player, Ben had to apologise after a picture taken six years earlier emerged of him dressed as basketball star Michael Jordan. Ben suffered a double fracture of his leg in a match against Southampton U23s in September 2020.

Ben left Woking in May 2021 and signed for Bath City. In November 2021, he moved on to Gloucester City. 

After a spell at Southern League Bideford, he signed for Weymouth in October 2022 but was released a month later. In a statement on social media, Ben claimed he had been shown "no respect" and was released via text message by manager Bobby Wilkinson.

Ben then returned to Bideford but left in October 2023. A spell at Tiverton Town of the Southern League Premier South saw Ben become assistant manager until October 2024 when he and manager Leigh Robinson were dismissed. The following month he signed for Bovey Tracey of the South West Peninsula League.

Ben announced his retirement from football in February 2025.