Non League Yorkshire

Player Profile – Ben Grech-Brooksbank

Thackley sharp-shooter Ben Grech-Brooksbanks, the joint top goal-scorer in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division is this week’s Player Profile.

Thackley’s Ben Grech-Brooksbank

Name 

Ben Grech-Brooksbank

Current Club 

Thackley

Previous Clubs 

Liversedge, Ossett Albion, Worsbrough Bridge, Eccleshill United

Position

Attacking midfielder

Age 

27

Day Job

Events & Promotions Manager in Leeds

Best Mate in Football 

Thackley manager Paddy McGuire was delighted when he signed the striker in 2019

All the Dennyboys, great set of lads! 

Team You Support 

Manchester United 

Football Idol

David Beckham 

Biggest influence on football career

Parents taking me all over the country when I was younger.

Career Highlight

Scoring for Scunthorpe United against Manchester United U16s at Glanford Park in the FA Youth Cup.

Most Memorable Game 

Playing away at Salford City for Ossett Albion after the Class of ’92 had taken over.

Lowest moment in football

Grech-Brooksbank (third from right, bottom row) in Richard Tracey’s 2014/15 Ossett Albion side

Having to leave Ossett Albion after a long-term reoccurring shin injury.

Biggest regret in football

Not getting back in to the pyramid after being dropped at Scunthorpe United and going back to Sunday league at 16

Funniest moment in football

Former Worsbrough striker Ben Grech-Brooksbank
Grech-Brooksbank in action for Worsbrough

Scoring a hat trick for Worsbrough after the chairman bought me a Mars Bar and every game after him walking in giving me a Mars Bar hoping I’d score another (I didn’t haha).

First semi-professional manager

Eric Gilchrist (Liversedge)

Former Ossett Albion and Liversedge manager Eric Gilchrist was Grech-Brooksbank’s first manager in semi-professional football

Non League Debut 

Debut at Liversedge at 18.

First Red Card in Non League 

Never been sent off but did get my first sin bin this weekend.

First and Best Non League Goal 

Grech-Brooksbank celebrating a goal for Worsbrough

First was for Liversedge from outside the box (ed. possibly a 59th minute strike against Pickering Town in a 4-0 win on the 29th September 2013).

Best goal was probably this year in the FA Cup for Thackley against Wythenshaw when I scored from the halfway line. 

What do you want to achieve in football in the future?

Play as high as I can for as long as I can. 

Favourite Non League Ground

Ossett United’s, good memories there and loved playing there in derby days with the big crowds and atmosphere.

If you want to take part in our weekly Player Profile, get in touch via social media, either on Facebook or Twitter.

Take a look at our previous Player Profiles HERE

If you have enjoyed reading Non League Yorkshire over the past few months, please consider making a donation to the not-for-profit organisation NLY Community Sport which provides sport for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. CLICK HERE to visit the JustGiving page. There is a video at the bottom of the page showing our work.

NLY Community Sport, run by James Grayson and Connor Rollinson, has always had combatting social isolation at the top of our objectives when running our Disability Football teams. 

Our work is playing an important role in reintroducing our players, who have disabilities and learning difficulties, back into society.

We have six teams, a mixture of Junior and Adult teams – Nostell MW DFC, Pontefract Pirates, Selby Disability Football Club and the South Yorkshire Superheroes (Barnsley) – across Yorkshire.

We have enjoyed great success over the past three years. Several of our players have represented Mencap GB in Geneva, including Billy Hobson from Selby and Greg Smith, whose story is quite inspiring.

You can learn more about the organisation HERE and on our Facebook page.

Watch the video below to see highlights from our three years as an organisation. The video was produced for our players at the end of March to remind them of good memories from the last three years.

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