Cod Almighty | Article

by Richard Dawson

13 May 2025

These may be the days of miracle and wonder, but this a long distance call to the days of our youth when, after ten minutes with Sir Alan, the boy Bennett became our main man.

"Here you are Mrs Bennett, you have a beautiful big, bouncing baby boy. What will you call him? Ryan. He has got really long legs!" And so began the life journey of Ryan Bennett, selected as one of the best two centre-halves in the top team of the twenty first century.

Skipping forward we find Ryan, now a gawky teenager, getting dumped from the Ipswich youth gang. Someone on the interweb has claimed this was because "he had an attitude problem". There must have been something like that because the size and ability boxes were both surely ticked. More likely young Ryan was guilty of speaking truth to power because it seems obvious that the other boxes of intelligence and maturity could be checked as well.

Neil Woods had seen enough to swoop. Everyone writing up the story says our Neil 'swooped'. Swooped like a gull after chips or a stork stealing a baby - Woodsy transported Ryan Bennett to be an apprentice at Grimsby Town. Speaking later Neil said "Ryan has impressed everyone with his level-headed approach and he has performed to very high standards throughout his Apprenticeship. He has been able to maintain a fantastic approach to his education.”

Ryan blossomed. According to Cod Almighty veteran match reporter Tony Butcher he even learned to play the guitar. By April 2007, a month after his 17th birthday, he made the first team. Not only had he impressed Neil Woods but Alan Buckley too. Sir Alan said this of him in his biography:

"Ryan was an unbelievable prospect. Within ten minutes of me seeing him play he was training with the first team." 

Ryan got the hat-trick of approvals three weeks later when John McDermott handed him the captain's armband as he came off in the Lincoln derby game. It is hard to draw a parallel to this. Playing in a tough position so young but with maturity and leadership skills. Wow, just wow. Here is what the Cod Almighty match report had to say:

"At one point Bennett intercepted a breakaway, swung his pants and strolled forward imperiously. The crowd spontaneously applauded and cooed in appreciation. That boy's got a Futchersidian quality to his game, and all before he shaves too. Let's keep him our little secret."

The same month we stuffed Barnet 5-0. Let's put that in perspective - didn't we always stuff Barnet in those times? Anyway Bennett, all legs and arms - those legs, noticed at birth, were not only long but expandable - he deserved a Mr Man book all to himself - Bennett shone again:

"Bennett was caught betwixt and between at first, but his yoof and extendable legs extinguished danger. Later he stood in the right places, reading exactly what Barnet were going to do and being there before it happened."

Equally comfortable at right-back or centre-half Bennett got the number five shirt, scored with a good header on the opening day of the next season and was a firm favourite all round. He was named player of the month in August. Here is that goal:

"Bennett ducked and bazoomed a sliding header into the centre-left of the net. The whole Town team ran up and hugged him like he was Gregory's Girl."

Buckley, in his biography says that handing the number five shirt was a statement of intent and that, with hindsight, he should have been braver and played Bennett as first choice every week from the start.

That season the team never troubled the play-offs but got to Wembley, so Ryan ticked off another box. At 18 the paywall Times reported that he was being  scouted by the likes of ManU and Arsenal. Halcyon days.

But that big money move never came off. Bennett was trapped, after Buckley was unceremoniously sacked, in a badly managed team with an erratic, egotistical incompetent club owner. Everything drifted but the direction was always inexorably downward. Let's not dwell on that further here.

First he was leaving, then he signed a four year contract, then he left anyway. In his excellent interview with Cod Almighty Nick Heggarty described it thus:

"I'm not saying I know all the answers but each decision they made, with hindsight, turned out to be a bad one. The same goes for Ryan Bennett. They got a great offer for him in the summer, turned it down and then they were desperately scrambling to get the deal back on in January."

They say Peterborough paid half a million. Weird and wonderful clauses promised up to the same again if they were met. Six months earlier it would maybe have been triple that. Yes Mr Fenty was ever the master of the art of negotiation. When Posh sold Bennett to Norwich three years later for £3.2m Town had a 25% sell-on clause. Yea! Well we got some of it in dribs and drabs but a figure quoted as £100,000 remained unpaid. Barry Fry, the master of both ducking and diving was far too slippery for John Fenty, who gave up with a whimper. They may have sent us a bag of old balls and promised a 'lucrative' pre-season friendly. But that never happened either.

Ryan Bennett went on to have a good career. Five years at Norwich, three at Wolves, two at Swansea. He played top flight football and never looked out of place. His final stint was six months at Cambridge after training, unattached, with Grimsby. Speaking this season, while co-commentatiing on MarinersTV, Ryan explained that, although an offer had come in from Jason Stockwood at one point, he felt that neither Paul Hurst nor David Artell had expressed any serious interest in signing him. Bennett is now retired and harbours an ambition to be a sporting director. This writer has no real idea what that entails but this is a confident, articulate, intelligent man. I am sure he can be whatever he wants to be, just hope he has kept up the guitar playing.

It was a privilege to watch a young talent blossom. We have had some great Town centre-halves all with different qualities. Bennett is a proud member of that pantheon. Well played, sir. 

With thanks to Tony Butcher, Sue Firth and Peter Anderson for help with the Buckley quotes. Special thanks also to the Essex Midwifery Service for trawling through their archives

Artwork courtesy of Alex Chilvers