Benjamin Robinson Muirhead (born 5 January 1983) is an English former 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 ...
and coach.
As a player, he was a winger. He notably played in the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
for
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, going on to make a loan move to
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at T ...
before signing with
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
...
. He played more than 100 games in four years at Bradford, before signing for
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 ...
. Muirhead dropped into non-league football in 2008 where he has played for
Alfreton Town
Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street.
History
The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alf ...
,
Farsley Celtic
Farsley Celtic Football Club is a football club based in Farsley, West Yorkshire, England. The club was founded in 1908, but folded in 2010 and were reformed as Farsley AFC before returning to the name Farsley Celtic in 2015.
,
King's Lynn
King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, ...
,
Harrogate Town
Harrogate Town A.F.C. is a professional association football club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
The club is nicknamed the Sulphurites, due to the ...
and
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Armthorpe Welfare and
Retford United
Retford United Football Club (also known as the Badgers) are an English football club based at Cannon Park in Retford, Nottinghamshire. They currently play in the .
History
The club was founded in 1987 by Retfordian Brian Jackson to give the ...
. In 2015 he returned to Armthorpe as assistant manager.
Playing areer
Born in
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated i ...
,
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham.
I ...
, Muirhead was a highly rated youngster and played for England schoolboys, including playing against an Argentina Under-15 squad starring
Carlos Tevez
Carlos Alberto Tevez (; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. A quick, tenacious, powerful, hard-working and dynamic forward in his prime, Tevez was capable of playing as a striker, as a wing ...
at Wembley. After beginning his career at
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, he moved to
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
...
. He then moved to
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 ...
on loan and scored on his debut versus
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 Rochdale went on to win 2–1. Muirhead caught the eye of many League Two pundits during his loan spell and it was a disappointment when Bantams caretaker boss
David Wetherall
David Wetherall (born 14 March 1971) is an English football coach and former professional footballer, who is as head of youth development with the Football League.
As a player, he was a central defender, he played most of his career in the Pre ...
recalled him.
He was released by Bradford City in May 2007. The following month, he signed a permanent deal with League Two outfit Rochdale. He scored the winning penalty as Rochdale reached the play-off final after defeating
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington under ...
. In June 2008, he was transfer listed by Rochdale. Muirhead left the club on 31 July by mutual consent, stating a wish to play higher up the Football League.
Muirhead was given a trial with Darlington, but in August 2008, he instead signed for
Conference North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sys ...
side
Alfreton Town
Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street.
History
The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alf ...
under the management of Nicky Law, who had brought Muirhead to Bradford. After a month with the club, he was rewarded for a string of good performances by being given a one-year contract. He was released after one season with Alfreton because he required an operation which would keep him out of action for eight months. He signed for Conference North side
Farsley Celtic
Farsley Celtic Football Club is a football club based in Farsley, West Yorkshire, England. The club was founded in 1908, but folded in 2010 and were reformed as Farsley AFC before returning to the name Farsley Celtic in 2015.
at the end of August 2009. He moved onto
King's Lynn
King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, ...
before signing for
Harrogate Town
Harrogate Town A.F.C. is a professional association football club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
The club is nicknamed the Sulphurites, due to the ...
in December 2009. Muirhead's time at
Harrogate Town
Harrogate Town A.F.C. is a professional association football club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
The club is nicknamed the Sulphurites, due to the ...
would prove to be a very short one as on 8 March 2010, he left the CNG stadium and signed for
Buxton F.C.
Buxton Football Club is a football club based in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Silverlands.
History
The club was established in autumn 1877 as an offshoot of the local cricket club, playing the ...
Coaching career
In June 2015 Muirhead was announced as an assistant manager at Armthorpe Welfare, alongside his role as a player there.