Benjamin Scott Harding (born 6 September 1984) is an English 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 lea ...

who plays for as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Truro City Truro City Football Club is an Association football in England, English football club based in Truro, Cornwall. They currently compete in the National League (English football), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

Club career

Wimbledon and Milton Keynes Dons

Harding began his career at

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

and signed terms with them in October 2001. He made his debut in November 2003, and made 42 league appearances before signing a new two-year deal in August 2005. In November 2005, Harding was loaned to

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Formed in October 188 ...

for two months. Injuries limited him to just 10 appearances for the now renamed

MK 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 EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...

over the remainder of the 2005–6 season. The following season, Harding was loaned out to the Conference National sides

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...

and

Grays Athletic Grays Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Grays, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Chadfields in nearby Tilbury. History The club was established as Grays Juniors in 1890, before merging with former ...

. At the end of the season he was released by the MK Dons and he returned to Aldershot Town as a trialist.

Aldershot Town

Harding impressed in the trials and signed a contract in August 2007. He was an ever-present and instrumental player in the 2007–08 league campaign, as Aldershot Town won the

Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...

title and the

Conference League Cup The National League Cup is an annual association football competition in England. The National League Cup is open to clubs playing in the National League and, since its revival in 2024, professional under-21 teams playing in the Premier League 2. ...

. He was also one of five Aldershot Town players, that were named in the

Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

Select XI Team of the Year. At the end of the season, Harding signed a new two-year contract, which would keep him at the

Recreation Ground A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

until the end of the 2009–10 season. Harding made his 100th appearance for Aldershot Town in the home game against

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...

in December 2008. He tore an

achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

in February 2009, which sidelined him for the remainder of season.

Wycombe Wanderers

On 23 May 2011, Harding signed a two-year contract with recently promoted

League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...

side

Northampton Town

After a month on loan at Sixfields, Harding joined

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...

, permanently signing an 18-month deal on deadline day.

Torquay United

On 13 July 2013, Harding signed for

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

on a two-year contract, becoming

Alan Knill Alan Richard Knill (born 8 October 1964) is a professional football manager and former player, who is a coach for the Wales national team and Sheffield United. He played as a centre-back for several clubs, spending the most time at Halifax T ...

's fifth signing of the summer.

Truro City

On 28 July 2017, Harding signed for

on a one-year contract, becoming Lee Hodges's second signing of the summer after Ben Gerring's release from Torquay United. On 8 August 2018, Harding was appointed interim manager of Truro, following Lee Hodges' resignation.

International career

Harding's performances at Aldershot Town gained him an England C call up and debut in February 2008. Harding was also part of the England C squad, that won the Four Nations Tournament in May 2008.

Honours

;Aldershot Town *

: 2008 *

: 2008 ;England C *Four Nations Tournament: 2008

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Ben 1984 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Sutton People from Carshalton English men's footballers England men's semi-pro international footballers Men's association football midfielders Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Forest Green Rovers F.C. players Grays Athletic F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players Wimbledon F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Torquay United F.C. players Gosport Borough F.C. players Truro City F.C. players Truro City F.C. managers English Football League players National League (English football) players English football managers 21st-century English sportsmen