By Chris
Born on May 27, 1981 in Birmingham, England, Benjamin James Davies, a Welsh football coach and former professional player, played as a right back and midfielder between 2000 and 2021.
Davies began his career with the youth system at Stoke City aged 15 before joining Walsall's youth setup in 1999.
He had spells with Kidderminster Harriers and Chester City, where he won a Football Conference championship medal in 2004.
During his time at Chester, he was made club captain.
Davies joined Shrewsbury Town two days before turning 25, where he played an instrumental role in the team.
However, an injury in the play-off semi-final against MK Dons meant that he missed the 2007 Football League Two play-off final.
He recovered faster than expected from his Achilles tendon injury, returning for the first team in late November.
Following Stewart Drummond's departure in the January 2008 transfer window, Davies was installed as Shrewsbury's club captain.
Davies underwent a double hernia operation in November 2008, which kept him out for a month.
Having missed the 2007 final, Davies played in the 2009 League Two play-off final, which Shrewsbury lost.
One of several key players out of contract at the end of the season, Shrewsbury offered Davies a contract extension.
However, Notts County offered him a deal which he felt gave him a greater chance at achieving his ambition to play at a higher level.
As a result, Davies left Shrewsbury to join County.
Davies had a successful first season at the then League Two club during their 2009–10 campaign, playing an integral part in them winning the league.
He became the highest-scoring midfielder in a single season in County's history as he scored 16 goals, alongside 20 assists.
Davies won several awards, including Supporters player of the year, club player of the year, and goal of the season, as well as being named in the PFA Team of the year.
Davies' form was such that in August 2010, he was subject to overtures from Championship club Derby County.
Derby boss Nigel Clough left a 2–1 defeat at Coventry City 5 minutes early to watch the player.
Davies remained at County, however, and in his first season at League One level hit 5 goals in 22 games, including two strikes in a 3–2 victory at Peterborough United, as well as numerous assists.
The form saw Derby retain their interest in the January 2011 transfer window, lodging several bids which were rejected.
Davies' desire to play Championship football saw him hand in a transfer request, despite proclaiming "I absolutely love it here, I'm the happiest I have ever been in my career."
Finally, a bid from Derby in the region of £350k was accepted by County, and the player completed a move on 20 January 2011, signing a 2+1⁄2-year deal to run until July 2013.
Davies made his full Derby County debut on 22 January 2011 in a 1–0 home defeat to fierce rivals Nottingham Forest.
Joining the club in a run of form which had seen just one win from their previous nine fixtures, Davies had to wait until his seventh appearance before tasting a victory at his new club; a 1–0 victory at relegation rivals Sheffield United.
As the club itself struggled, so did Davies with the step-up, and after starting in a 3–1 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers, Davies was dropped to the bench.
Davies later admitted that he deserved to be dropped; "I'm not one to hide, and my performances hadn't been good enough. I wasn't playing well, and I was probably lucky to be playing as many games as I did."
Despite this setback, Davies continued to work hard and eventually won back his place in the starting eleven.
Over the next few seasons, he established himself as a key player for Derby County, making over 75 appearances in all competitions and becoming a firm fan favourite.
He was also named as the club's player of the year for the 2012-13 season, in recognition of his consistent performances.
In April 2013, Davies signed a new contract with Derby, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2013-14 season.
During his final campaign, Davies found himself being restricted to League Cup appearances, where he made two as a substitute in the opening stages of the season.
After the sacking of Nigel Clough, having spent more than four years at Derby County, Davies left the club on loan in February to link back up with Nigel Clough, as he joined fellow Championship side Sheffield United until the end of the season.
He went on to make 32 appearances for Sheffield United over the next two seasons, however, by the end of the 2014/15 season he was released after his contract expired.
Davies signed a one-year deal with Portsmouth on August 6, 2015, after a successful pre-season trial.
He scored his first goal for Portsmouth in a 6-0 win over York City on November 24, 2015, and went on to have a consistent season, leading to Davies being awarded six different player-of-the-season trophies from supporter groups.
Although he finished runner-up to Michael Doyle for The News/Sports Mail Player of the Season award, Davies' performances were crucial to the team's success.
However, Davies left Portsmouth at the end of the 2015-16 season as both parties failed to agree terms. Davies was keen for a two-year contract and an increase in salary.
Following his departure from Portsmouth, Davies signed a one-year contract with newly promoted League Two club Grimsby Town on a free transfer on June 29, 2016.
He made an impressive start by scoring on his debut against Morecambe F.C. Grimsby won 2-0 on August 6, 2016 with a free-kick.
Unfortunately, Davies picked up a calf injury on October 8, 2016, in a 0-0 draw at Exeter City, which led to a two-month spell on the sidelines.
After making 25 league appearances and scoring one goal during the 2016-17 season, Davies agreed to a new one-year contract with Grimsby.
Despite turning down offers from other clubs down south, Davies was released by Grimsby at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Davies then signed for Boston United on August 24, 2018 and spent the season with the National League North club, before making his final career move to Cleethorpes Town on July 20, 2019.
He went on to announce his retirement from professional football in May 2020 at the age of 38.
Since retiring, Davies has become a coach, joining the coaching staff at Grimsby Town on November 18, 2019, where he assisted Anthony Limbrick and Darren Moore.
Davies had already worked as an academy coach, whilst playing for Cleethorpes Town.
He would make a switch back to Grimsby as the First Team coach and U23's manager under Ian Holloway.
When Ian Holloway resigned from his position on December 23, 2020, Davies was assigned as the temporary manager of the Mariners.
In his first match as a manager, Grimsby suffered a 3-1 defeat against Morecambe on December 23, 2020.
He then led the team to a 0-0 draw against Oldham Athletic on December 29, 2020, in his second and final game as a caretaker manager.
The day after the match, Grimsby appointed Paul Hurst as the new first-team manager, and Davies returned to his previous coaching role.
Despite his subsequent move to Derby County, Davies will always be held in high regard by Notts County fans, who appreciated his passion, his dedication, and his ability to deliver when it mattered most.
His success at Meadow Lane was a testament to his talent and his hard work, and he will always be remembered as one of the club's greatest ever players.
Ben Davies is a true footballing legend, whose contributions to the game have been significant and lasting.
Whether as a player or a coach, he has always shown himself to be a consummate professional, and a true inspiration to all those around him.
We wish him all the best in his future endeavours, and look forward to seeing what he achieves next.
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