Ben Easton Close (born 8 August 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Doncaster Rovers.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ben Easton Close[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-08-08) 8 August 1996 (age 26)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Portsmouth, England[3] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[4] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Portsmouth | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2021 | Portsmouth | 138 | (14) |
| 2015 | → Poole Town (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2017 | → Eastleigh (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2021– | Doncaster Rovers | 19 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:27, 12 September 2021 (UTC) | |||
Born in Portsmouth, Close signed a two-year scholarship deal after spending many years in Portsmouth's youth categories.[3] He was an unused substitute for a first team game on 3 May 2014 for a league game against Plymouth Argyle.[5]
On 9 May 2014, Close was offered a one-year professional contract with the club, alongside Bradley Tarbuck.[6] On 12 September 2014, he made his professional debut, coming on as a 43rd minute substitute for Nigel Atangana in a 3–1 away win against Yeovil Town, for the campaign's Football League Trophy.[7]
Close made his League Two debut on 16 September, again from the bench in a 3–0 home success against Dagenham & Redbridge.[8] After playing only 4 games for Pompey in 2016–17, on 31 January 2017, he joined National League side Eastleigh on loan until the end of the season.[9]
On 26 May 2017 Close signed a new one-year contract at Pompey, with the club holding an option for an additional year.[10] On 17 December, after becoming a starter under new manager Kenny Jackett, he extended his contract until 2020.[11]
On 2 March 2019, Close scored his first professional brace in a 5–1 home victory over Bradford City.[12]
Close signed for Doncaster Rovers on a three-year deal on 7 June 2021.[13]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Portsmouth | 2014–15 | League Two | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | League One | 40 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 2 | |
| 2018–19 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 46 | 9 | ||
| 2019–20 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 44 | 6 | ||
| 2020–21 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
| Total | 138 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 190 | 18 | ||
| Poole Town (loan) | 2014–15 | SFL - Premier Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Eastleigh (loan) | 2016–17 | National League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Career total | 152 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 2 | 207 | 19 | ||
Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C. – current squad | |
|---|---|