Ben Thornley
| Date of birth | 21 April 1975 |
| Place of birth | Bury |
| Nationality | English |
| Weight | 75 kg |
| Height | 1.75 m |
| Position | Forward |
An immensely likeable left-winger, Ben, a promising Youth team player got very few chances in a five year stay at Old Trafford with both Giggs and Sharpe as competition.
Ben joined Bury in September 2003 on non-contract terms but was released at the end of the following month. He joined Halifax Town, also on a non-contract basis, in March 2004.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 29 Jan 1993 | 03 Jul 1998 | |
| Stockport County | 06 Nov 1995 | 21 Jan 1996 | L |
| Huddersfield Town | 22 Feb 1996 | 06 May 1996 | L |
| Huddersfield Town | 03 Jul 1998 | 30 Jun 2001 | |
| Reading | 09 Jul 2001 | 24 Jul 2001 | T |
| Aberdeen | 28 Jul 2001 | 01 Aug 2001 | T |
| Aberdeen | 02 Aug 2001 | 01 Jan 2003 | |
| Blackpool | 01 Jan 2003 | 30 Jun 2003 | |
| Bury | 05 Sep 2003 | 31 Oct 2003 | |
| Stalybridge Celtic | 14 Nov 2003 | 01 Mar 2004 | |
| Halifax Town | 01 Mar 2004 | 31 May 2004 | |
| Bacup Borough | 19 Nov 2004 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | Manchester United | Premier League | 1 |
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| 1995-96 | Manchester United | Premier League | 1 |
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| 1996-97 | Manchester United | League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Manchester United | Premier League | 1 | 1 |
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| 1997-98 | Manchester United | FA Cup | 2 |
1
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| 1997-98 | Manchester United | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Manchester United | Premier League | 5 |
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| 1998-99 | Huddersfield Town | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Huddersfield Town | League Cup | 2 |
1
|
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| 1999-00 | Huddersfield Town | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Huddersfield Town | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Huddersfield Town | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Huddersfield Town | League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Huddersfield Town | League Division 1 | 29 | 7 |
3
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| 2001-02 | Aberdeen | Scottish FA Cup | 2 |
1 |
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| 2001-02 | Aberdeen | Scottish League Cup | 2 | 1 |
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| 2001-02 | Aberdeen | Scottish Premier League | 15 | 9 |
3 |
3
|
1
|
| 2002-03 | Aberdeen | Scottish League Cup | 1 |
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| 2002-03 | Aberdeen | Scottish Premier League | 2 | 4 |
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| 2002-03 | Blackpool | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Blackpool | League Division 2 | 7 | 5 |
1
|
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| 2003-04 | Bury | League Division 3 | 5 |
1
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Aug 2001 | Heart of Midlothian v Aberdeen | L | 1-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 11 Aug 2001 | Hibernian v Aberdeen | L | 2-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 18 Aug 2001 | Aberdeen v Motherwell | W | 4-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 25 Aug 2001 | St Johnstone v Aberdeen | D | 1-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 08 Sep 2001 | Aberdeen v Kilmarnock | W | 2-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 15 Sep 2001 | Aberdeen v Dundee United | W | 2-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 22 Sep 2001 | Celtic v Aberdeen | L | 2-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 25 Sep 2001 | Queen of the South v Aberdeen | W | 1-2 | Scottish League Cup | 2 |
| 29 Sep 2001 | Dundee v Aberdeen | W | 1-4 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 09 Oct 2001 | Aberdeen v Livingston | L | 1-6 | Scottish League Cup | 3 |
| 13 Oct 2001 | Livingston v Aberdeen | D | 2-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 20 Oct 2001 | Aberdeen v Dunfermline Athletic | W | 3-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 27 Oct 2001 | Aberdeen v Heart of Midlothian | W | 3-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 17 Nov 2001 | Aberdeen v Hibernian | W | 2-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 01 Dec 2001 | Aberdeen v St Johnstone | W | 1-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 08 Dec 2001 | Kilmarnock v Aberdeen | L | 3-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 15 Dec 2001 | Dundee United v Aberdeen | D | 1-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 29 Dec 2001 | Dunfermline Athletic v Aberdeen | L | 1-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 02 Jan 2002 | Aberdeen v Livingston | L | 0-3 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 08 Jan 2002 | St Johnstone v Aberdeen | W | 0-2 | Scottish FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 12 Jan 2002 | Heart of Midlothian v Aberdeen | L | 3-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 19 Jan 2002 | Aberdeen v Rangers | L | 0-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 26 Jan 2002 | Aberdeen v Livingston | W | 2-0 | Scottish FA Cup | 4th round |
| 02 Feb 2002 | St Johnstone v Aberdeen | W | 0-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 09 Mar 2002 | Dundee v Aberdeen | W | 2-3 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 06 Apr 2002 | Dunfermline Athletic v Aberdeen | D | 0-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 27 Apr 2002 | Rangers v Aberdeen | L | 2-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 12 May 2002 | Aberdeen v Celtic | L | 0-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 03 Aug 2002 | Hibernian v Aberdeen | W | 1-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 01 Sep 2002 | Aberdeen v Partick Thistle | L | 0-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 11 Sep 2002 | Aberdeen v Dundee United | L | 1-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 14 Sep 2002 | Kilmarnock v Aberdeen | D | 2-2 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 09 Nov 2002 | Heart of Midlothian v Aberdeen | D | 0-0 | Scottish Premier League | |
| 12 Nov 2002 | Aberdeen v Heart of Midlothian | D | 0-0 | Scottish League Cup | Quarter-final |
| 23 Nov 2002 | Partick Thistle v Aberdeen | L | 2-1 | Scottish Premier League | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | England | Toulon Under-21 | 3 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 1996 | England v Belgium | W | 1-0 | Toulon Under-21 | Group B |
| 30 May 1996 | England v Portugal | L | 1-3 | Toulon Under-21 | Group B |
| 01 Jun 1996 | England v Brazil | L | 1-2 | Toulon Under-21 | Group B |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.