Zane Banton (born 23 May 1996) is an English semi-professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
striker for club
St Albans City.
Career
Luton Town
Born in
Stevenage, Hertfordshire,
[ Banton became a first-year scholar at ]Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
in July 2012, having previously been at Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
. During his first year as a scholar, he scored 16 goals for the under-18 team as they finished third in the Youth Alliance South East Conference. The following season, Banton signed a professional contract on 19 September 2013 until May 2015. He made his first-team debut five days later aged 17 as an 85th-minute substitute for Andre Gray
Andre Anthony Gray (born 26 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Super League Greece club Aris. Born in England, he represents the Jamaica national team.
A product of the Shrewsbury Town youth system, Gray came ...
in a 4–0 win over Woking.[ His first start came on 30 November in a 0–0 draw with ]Staines Town
Staines Town Football Club was a semi-professional Association football, football club based in Staines-upon-Thames, Middlesex.
History
Early days
Staines Town FC was founded in 1892 and was known under various names including ''Staines F.C ...
in the FA Trophy first round, before being substituted in the 60th minute.[ Banton joined Conference South club Concord Rangers on a one-month ]loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...
on 5 March 2014. At the time, Luton manager John Still
John Still (c. 1543 – 26 February 1607/1608) was Master of two Cambridge colleges and then, from 1593, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He enjoyed considerable fame as an English preacher and disputant. He was formerly reputed to be the author of an ...
said he hoped Banton's loan spell would help to aid his development and "might push him on a little bit". He debuted two days later in a 3–2 win over Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
The town lies on the River Itchen, ...
and completed the loan spell with three appearances.[
On 8 August 2014, Banton joined Southern League Premier Division club ]Biggleswade Town
Biggleswade Town Football Club is a football club based in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Langford Road.
History
The club were established in 1874 as Biggleswade, later becoming known as ...
on a three-month loan. He made his debut a day later as a 69th-minute substitute in a 2–0 defeat to Chippenham Town.[ Banton scored his first goal for Biggleswade in a 4–1 win over ]Dorchester Town
Dorchester Town Football Club are a semi-professional football club, based in Dorchester, Dorset, England. They currently play in the .
The club is affiliated to the Dorset County Football Association and is a FA chartered Standard club. They ...
on 23 August.[ He added a second goal to his Biggleswade tally in a 1–0 win over Burnham on 9 September.][ Banton scored in three consecutive matches in all competitions from September to October and made his final appearance for Biggleswade in a 3–3 draw with ]Slough Town
Slough Town Football Club is a semi-professional English football club based in Slough, Berkshire. Nicknamed "The Rebels", the team competes in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football, following promotion from the Sou ...
on 28 October.[ He finished the loan spell with six goals from 21 appearances.][ Banton was recalled from his loan at Biggleswade on 31 October, and joined Conference South club ]Hemel Hempstead Town
Hemel Hempstead Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Affiliated to the Hertfordshire County Football Association, they are currently members of the National League South and pl ...
later that day on loan until 29 November. He debuted in a 1–0 win over Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, c ...
on 11 November.[ Banton made four further appearances in all competitions and scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win over Truro City in the FA Trophy third qualifying round on 29 November.][ He rejoined Hemel Hempstead Town on loan until the end of the season at the beginning of January 2015.
On 21 September 2015, Banton joined ]National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
club Boreham Wood
Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 31,074, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly known ...
on a one-month loan. He debuted in a 2–1 win away to Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
and completed the loan spell with two appearances.[ Banton later rejoined Hemel Hempstead Town on a one-month youth loan until 9 January 2016, starting in a 2–1 defeat at home to ]Ebbsfleet United
Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the club competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football.
The club was formed in 1946 fr ...
on 5 December. In the following match, Banton scored in a 7–4 defeat away to Eastbourne Borough in the FA Trophy on 12 December. Banton's loan was extended for a second month on 13 January 2016 until 14 February, with an immediate recall option. Luton exercised the option to recall Banton on 30 January with immediate effect to allow him to be named on the bench for the match at home to Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
, which finished as a 2–0 defeat. Banton made his Football League debut as a 73rd-minute substitute for Jonathan Smith in a 2–0 defeat at home to Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete his ...
on 9 April. This was followed up with three further substitute appearances, and finished 2015–16 with four appearances for Luton.[ Banton signed a new one-year contract after the end of the season, with the option of a one-year extension.
]
St Albans City
On 24 March 2017, Banton joined National League South club St Albans City on loan until the end of 2016–17. He debuted a day later in a 1–0 win at home to Dartford. Banton scored his first goal for St Albans on 15 April in a 1–1 draw with Whitehawk
Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was original ...
, and this was followed up with a goal in the following match, a 3–0 victory at home to Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
.[ He was recalled by Luton on 27 April, having scored twice in six appearances for St Albans. Banton was released by Luton when his contract expired at the end of 2016–17.
Banton joined St Albans permanently on a one-year contract on 2 June 2017. He signed a new contract for 2018–19 in May 2018.]
Career statistics
Honours
Luton Town
*Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-professi ...
: 2013–14[
]
References
External links
Profile
at the St Albans City F.C. website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banton, Zane
1996 births
Living people
People from Stevenage
Footballers from Hertfordshire
English footballers
Association football forwards
Watford F.C. players
Luton Town F.C. players
Concord Rangers F.C. players
Biggleswade Town F.C. players
Hemel Hempstead Town F.C. players
Boreham Wood F.C. players
St Albans City F.C. players
National League (English football) players
English Football League players
Southern Football League players