Ben Chorley
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Benjamin Francis Chorley (born 30 September 1982) is an English former
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 played as a defender. He was most recently the director of football at
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
. Chorley started his career at Arsenal, spending several years at the club on youth terms before signing a professional deal in 2001. He spent two months on loan at Brentford at the start of the 2002–03 season. Having made no first-team appearances for Arsenal, Chorley opted to leave the club and sign for Wimbledon in 2003. He continued playing under the club's new guise in Milton Keynes for a further three years from 2004 to 2007. During his final year at MK Dons, Chorley spent the majority of the 2006–07 season on loan at Gillingham. He left MK Dons in July 2007, and signed a two-year contract with
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
. After two years of regular football at Tranmere, Chorley returned to London, signing for
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...
in June 2009. He made over 150 appearances during his three-and-a-half-year spell at Orient, before signing for Stevenage in January 2013 for an undisclosed fee. Chorley's contract was cancelled by mutual consent in January 2014 and he subsequently signed for
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. After two seasons at Portsmouth, he joined National League side Bromley at the start of the 2015–16 season.


Career

Chorley began his career at Arsenal as a trainee in 1998, progressing through the club's youth system and playing regularly for the U18 and reserve sides. He was part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup in successive seasons, in 2000 and 2001 respectively, captaining the side throughout the latter tournament. Chorley signed his first professional contract in 2001, signing a two-year deal with Arsenal. He was subsequently loaned out to Brentford at the start of the 2002–03 season to gain match experience and made three appearances in all competitions during the two-month loan agreement. Chorley's first appearance in professional football was in Brentford's 3–3 draw away at AFC Bournemouth in the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
in September 2002, playing the first 45 minutes of the match. He returned to Arsenal, and a year into his contract, Chorley sensed that there was "little prospect" of first-team selection, and subsequently requested a move away from the North London side. With eight months remaining on his deal, having not made a first-team appearance for Arsenal, he left the club and opted to sign for Wimbledon.


Wimbledon and MK Dons

Chorley made his first-team debut for Wimbledon immediately after signing for the club, playing the whole match in a 2–0 victory over
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
at Selhurst Park on 15 March 2003. He went on to make ten appearances during the latter stages of the 2002–03 season. The following campaign was Chorley's breakthrough year in first-team football, playing regularly for Wimbledon in what was ultimately their last season before the club relocated to Milton Keynes. Chorley scored his first goal in professional football in April 2004, netting the only goal of the game as Wimbledon beat eventual champions
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
at the
JJB Stadium The DW Stadium is a stadium in Robin Park, in Wigan, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The ground is owned and managed by Wigan Football Company Limited, which is 85% owned by Wigan Athletic and 15% owned ...
. A week after scoring his first ever goal, he doubled his goal tally, netting in a 3–3 home draw with Preston North End. Chorley was part of the starting line-up for Wimbledon's 1–0 victory over
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...
, the club's last ever league match as Wimbledon. He made 38 appearances during the campaign, a season in which Wimbledon were relegated to League One after finishing bottom of the league table. Chorley opted to play for the club under their new guise,
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
, following the club's relocation from Wimbledon to Milton Keynes. He admitted the decision was difficult, due to Wimbledon being very local for him, whilst he had to travel "quite far" to Milton Keynes. Chorley was made club captain during the season. He made his first appearance of the 2004–05 campaign in a 3–1 home loss to Bournemouth on 21 August 2004. He scored two goals within the space of three days in October 2004; firstly scoring a header in a 3–2 defeat to
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
, before netting a late consolation goal from the penalty spot as MK Dons were defeated 3–1 at
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
. The two goals turned out to be Chorley's only goals of the season, as he went on to make 47 appearances for the club in all competitions. This included an appearance on the final day of the season; a 2–1 home win over
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
ultimately meant MK Dons survived relegation to
League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
, with
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 ...
suffering relegation instead on goal difference. A month after securing League One status for another season, in June 2005, Chorley signed a new two-year with the club. MK Dons manager Danny Wilson stated – "He is a tremendous captain and solid centre-half – you look for strong characters to lead the team and there are none stronger than Ben. I'm really pleased he is staying". The first half of Chorley's 2005–06 season was disrupted by suspensions and injuries, receiving two red cards, as well as suffering a recurring thigh injury. Chorley featured regularly during the latter stages of the campaign, making 29 appearances, but could not prevent the club from being relegated to League Two as a result of a 22nd-place finish. Having featured regularly for MK Dons during the opening months of the following campaign, Chorley was one of six players that had been transfer-listed by new manager
Martin Allen Martin James Allen (born 14 August 1965) is an English football manager and former player. He played more than 100 games as a midfielder for both Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United before finishing his playing career with Portsmouth and ...
at MK Dons, in order for Allen to "make room for new signings". Chorley stated that he was "stunned" to be transfer-listed – "I felt I was quite an important member of the team. I feel I did well and always gave 100%. I was surprised but things change and I wasn't going to play". Just three days after being transfer-listed, Chorley joined League One side Gillingham on a three-month loan deal. After being deemed fit to play, he made his debut for Gillingham as a second-half substitute for Andrew Crofts in a 2–0 home win over Carlisle United two days after joining the club. His first goal for the club ultimately turned out to be the winner as Gillingham came from two goals down to secure a 3–2 away win over Tranmere Rovers in December 2006. A month later, Chorley signed a loan extension with the Kent club, meaning he would remain at the club for the remainder of the 2006–07 season. He made 27 appearances, of which 24 were starting, as Gillingham finished the season in 16th place. At the end of the campaign, on 8 May 2007, Gillingham stated that Chorley's loan agreement with the club had ended, and that he would return to his parent club. On his return to MK Dons, his contract was terminated by mutual consent, and the player was able to look for a new club on a free transfer. During Chorley's three-year association with Milton Keynes Dons, he made 91 appearances and scored three goals.


Tranmere Rovers

In July 2007, Chorley signed for
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
of
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
, joining on a two-year contract. He made his debut for the club on the opening day of the 2007–08 season, as Tranmere lost 2–1 at home to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
at a packed Prenton Park. Chorley scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 away win at
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
in October 2007, volleying home Paul McLaren's corner to give Tranmere the lead – the win stretched the club's unbeaten run to nine games. It was to be his only goal of the campaign, making 36 appearances in a season where he was in and out of the first-team due to facing tough competition from fellow central defender Antony Kay. His second year at Tranmere saw Chorley become an integral part of the side, playing in 45 of the 46 league matches, as well as making a further eight appearances in cup competitions. During the season, Chorley doubled his goal tally for the club, scoring in a 2–1 loss to
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded i ...
at
Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...
in March 2009. Tranmere narrowly missed out on the final play-off position after drawing 1–1 with Scunthorpe United on the last day of the season, with Scunthorpe subsequently holding onto sixth place after scoring an equaliser with two minutes remaining. It was to be Chorley's last game for the club. He made 89 appearances during his two-year spell with the Merseyside club.


Leyton Orient

Chorley left Tranmere when his contract expired at the end of the 2008–09 season, rejecting the club's offer of a contract extension. He subsequently signed for
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...
on a two-year deal in June 2009. Leyton Orient chief executive Matt Porter revealed that eight clubs had tried to sign Chorley after it was announced he would become a free agent. He made his debut for Orient in the club's first game of the new season, playing the whole match in a 2–1 away victory at
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...
on 8 August 2009. Chorley was almost ever present during his first season with the club, making 47 appearances in all competitions, and scoring once in a 2–1 away loss at
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
in April 2010. He remained a regular feature in Orient's defence during the
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
season, and was made club captain during the campaign. Chorley hit a rich vein of goalscoring form midway through the season, scoring twice in two games against
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
, as well as in convincing home victories over
Droylsden Droylsden is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, east of Manchester city centre and west of Ashton-under-Lyne, with a population at the 2011 Census of 22,689. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, in the ...
and
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
respectively. The season also marked the opportunity for Chorley to face the team he grew up playing for, Arsenal, as Orient held the Premier League side to a draw in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
fifth round at Brisbane Road, before eventually losing in the replay at the Emirates Stadium. He made 41 appearances during the season, scoring four times, as an injury sustained in March 2011 limited his first-team appearances for the remainder of the campaign. At the end of the season, Chorley signed a new two-year contract with the club, on a deal that would run until the summer of 2013. He started in the club's first game of the 2011–12 season, a 1–0 defeat to
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...
at the
Bescot Stadium Bescot Stadium, also known as the Poundland Bescot Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a association football, football stadium in Walsall, England, and the current home ground of Walsall F.C., Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989–90, ...
. It took Chorley just seven games to score his first goal of the new season, scoring a penalty in a 3–2 home win over Bristol Rovers in the League Cup. He also scored a 90th-minute equaliser in a 2–2 draw away to
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
on 24 September 2011, netting from close range in a match that Orient had trailed by two goals. Shortly after the club's next match, Chorley suffered an injury that ruled him out for two months. He returned to the first-team in December 2011, but a red card in a 1–0 win over Stevenage would mean he missed another three matches. During the campaign, he played in 37 games and scored twice, in a season that witnessed Leyton Orient narrowly avoid relegation, finishing just above the four relegation places. Chorley was again a permanent fixture during the first half of Leyton Orient's
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
season, making 34 appearances and spending most of the season as club captain as a result of Nathan Clarke's absence. He scored twice for Orient during the season, with his goals coming in 4–1 victories over
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
and Carlisle United respectively. With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, and reported interest from other League One sides, Chorley spoke with Leyton Orient manager
Russell Slade Russell Mark Slade (born 10 October 1960) is an English professional football manager, who was most recently managerial consultant of League Two club Stevenage. Having had an extended career at reserve team level, Slade entered professional ...
about a move away from Brisbane Road, citing a need for a longer contract. During his three-and-a-half-year tenure with the club, he made 159 appearances in all competitions and scored nine goals.


Stevenage

In January 2013, Chorley signed for Stevenage for an undisclosed fee, on a two-and-a-half-year contract. The move reunited Chorley with Stevenage manager Gary Smith, who had coached the player during his time at Wimbledon. He made his debut two days after signing, against his former club Leyton Orient, playing the whole match in a 1–0 defeat. In March 2013, having made eight appearances for Stevenage, Chorley underwent a double hernia operation that would ultimately rule him out for the remainder of the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
season.


Portsmouth

On 20 January 2014, Chorley joined
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
on an 18-month contract. On 17 July 2014, he was named as Team Captain for the 14/15 season, with Johnny Ertl continuing as Club Captain. On 18 May 2015, Portsmouth announced that they would be releasing Chorley when his contract expired in June.


Non-playing career

In July 2021, Chorley was appointed director of football at
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
. Chorley resigned from his role on 30 May 2022.


Career statistics


Honours

Arsenal * FA Youth Cup: 1999–2000, 2000–01 Bromley * FA Trophy runner-up: 2017–18 Individual *
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
Player of the Year: 2004–05


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chorley, Ben 1982 births Living people Footballers from Sidcup English footballers Association football defenders Arsenal F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Wimbledon F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players Tranmere Rovers F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players Stevenage F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Bromley F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Swindon Town F.C. non-playing staff