Robbie Benson

Robert Benson (born 7 May 1992) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder, for St Patrick's Athletic in the League of Ireland Premier Division.[3] He has also played for his hometown club, Athlone Town, UCD and Dundalk. Benson has made 10 appearances in European competition throughout his career and was part of the Dundalk team that became the first Irish side ever to reach the play-off stage of the UEFA Champions League in August 2016.[4] Benson scored twice for the club on their European run, including a volleyed goal against Legia Warsaw in the play-off round that received worldwide media coverage.[5]

For the American actor, see Robby Benson.

Robbie Benson
Personal information
Full name Robert Benson
Date of birth (1992-05-07) 7 May 1992
Place of birth Athlone, Ireland
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 St Patrick's Athletic
Number 7
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2010 Athlone Town 38 (5)
2010–2015 UCD 129 (29)
2016–2019 Dundalk 96 (21)
2020– St Patrick's Athletic 16 (2)
National team‡
2007–2008 Republic of Ireland U16 3[1] (0)
2008–2009 Republic of Ireland U17 3[2] (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 08:24, 10 November 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 00:42, 6 August 2016 (UTC)

Early life

Benson was born in Athlone and attended Marist College in the town between 2004 and 2010 where he studied for his Leaving Certificate.[6] He played underage football for local club St. Francis.[7]

Professional career

Athlone Town

Benson began his career with Athlone Town, making his debut against Waterford United in the Regional Sports Centre on 3 October 2008.[8] He spent the following two seasons playing in the First Division with the club. After achieving 600 points in his Leaving Certificate examinations, Benson gained a scholarship with UCD in September 2010.[9] This allowed him to combine his academic studies with football, and he majored in chemistry and maths before earning a master's degree in actuarial science.[10][11]

UCD

Benson was unable to play for UCD's league side during the closing stages of the 2010 season due to scholarship regulations, however he joined up with the senior squad for the 2011 season, making 20 league appearances in the Premier Division and scoring five goals. Benson became a mainstay of the side during the 2012 season, playing a part in 31 league games for the club and scoring three goals in the process, as UCD finished ninth and avoided relegation.

Benson remained with UCD for the 2013 season, and scored a career-high nine league goals in 25 appearances during the campaign, as UCD once more finished ninth. In 2014, Benson was made the captain of the team and played in all 35 league games for the club, scoring three goals. However, UCD were relegated at the end of the season after losing a play-off to Galway United. Despite this, Benson chose to stay with UCD in 2015 as he wished to complete his studies before later making the move to full-time football.[10] He made his European debut in July 2015, captaining his side to a 1–0 win over Dudelange in the Europa League first qualifying round. He went on to make a further 3 appearances in the Europa League as UCD eliminated Dudelange and met Slovan Bratislava in the following round. Throughout the 2015 campaign, Benson played in eighteen league games and scored seven goals as UCD ultimately lost out on promotion to the Premier Division in a play-off against Finn Harps.

Dundalk

Despite interest from St. Patrick's Athletic, Shamrock Rovers and Cork City, Benson signed for Dundalk in December 2015, citing the opportunity to work under boss Stephen Kenny as being one of the deciding factors.[12][13] He scored the third goal in the 3–0 home defeat of BATE Borisov to help Dundalk become the first Irish side to reach the play-off round of the Champions League,[14] and followed this up with a volleyed goal against Legia Warsaw in the play-off round that received widespread exposure in international media and on social media.[15] Benson considers this to be the greatest goal of his career to date. Dundalk went on to qualify for the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League group stage for the first time and Robbie scored for Dundalk in the home game against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, but lost 2-1.[16] He was rewarded for his Champions League displays by being named Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland Player of the Month for August 2016.[17] After considering offers from Scotland and England, Benson signed a new one-year contract with Dundalk in November 2017.

St Patrick's Athletic

Benson signed for St Patrick's Athletic on 13 November 2019, signing for his former teammate Stephen O'Donnell, who was less than 3 months into his first managerial role.[18] Benson scored on his first start for the club in a 6–0 win over Fermoy in a friendly.[19]

International career

Benson was a key member of the Irish Schools side which won the Centenary Shield in 2010 including scoring the winner against England which sealed the trophy for Ireland. He was named the FAI's Under 18 International Schools Player of the Year in 2009–10.[6] He has also represented Ireland at under-16 and under-17 levels.

Career statistics

As of 1 February 2021[20]

Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Athlone Town 2008 League of Ireland First Division 100000——10
2009 932010——123
2010 1220010—00132
Athlone Town Total 2252020—00265
UCD 2011 League of Ireland Premier Division 2052030—1[lower-alpha 1]0265
2012 3132020—3[lower-alpha 1]1384
2013 2591010—00279
2014 3351000—00345
2015 League of Ireland First Division 20710004[lower-alpha 2]000257
UCD Total 129296060404115030
Dundalk 2016 League of Ireland Premier Division 242501011[lower-alpha 3]31[lower-alpha 1]0425
2017 27952212[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 5]03712
2018 32940004[lower-alpha 2]01[lower-alpha 5]0419
2019 13130103[lower-alpha 4]02[lower-alpha 6]1222
Dundalk Total 9621172412035114228
St Patrick's Athletic 2020 League of Ireland Premier Division 16210———172
2021 0000———00
St Patrick's Athletic Total 16210———172
Career Total 263572621212439233565
  1. Appearances in Leinster Senior Cup
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. 6 appearances 2 goals in UEFA Champions League, 5 appearances 1 goal in UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. Appearances in President's Cup
  6. 1 appearance in President's Cup, 1 appearance & 1 goal in Champions Cup

Honours

Club
Dundalk

Individual

References
  1. "Player's profile on SoccerScene.ie". SoccerScene.ie. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  2. "Player's profile on SoccerScene.ie". SoccerScene.ie. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  3. Soccerbase Player Profile|http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=58539
  4. "Robbie Benson – UEFA player profile". UEFA. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  5. "LIAM MACKEY: Benson racks up a stylish hat-trick for the remarkable Robbies". Irish Examiner. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  6. "Robbie Benson awarded FAI International Schools' accolade". FAI Schools. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  7. "Athlone's Robbie stars in €1.2m Champions League success for Dundalk". Westmeath Independent. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  8. "Robbie Benson - Extratime.ie player profile". Extratime.ie. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  9. "Returning to Athlone as men – but UCD's skipper was a plane journey away from another path". the42.ie. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  10. https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/i-wont-get-the-highs-of-winning-trophies-sitting-behind-a-desk-robbie-benson-has-put-career-on-hold-to-chase-dundalk-dream-37705336.html
  11. "O'Donnell and Benson talk Dundalk". UEFA. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  12. "Dundalk make two big signings as they bid to replace Richie Towell". the42.ie. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  13. "Dundalk land McEleney and Benson". Irish Independent. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  14. "'We're not content with the Europa League' - Dundalk's Robbie Benson". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  15. https://www.balls.ie/football/watch-robbie-benson-dundalk-goal-legia-343881
  16. "Champions League Goal "Best I've Scored By A Mile" – Dundalk's Robbie Benson". 98fm.ie. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  17. "600 points in the Leaving Cert, a master's degree and two goals in this season's Champions League". the42.ie. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  18. https://www.stpatsfc.com/news.php?id=8586
  19. https://www.stpatsfc.com/news.php?id=8619
  20. https://ie.soccerway.com/players/robbie-benson/76075/
  21. "Dundalk midfielder Robbie Benson crowned Player of the Month". Goal.com. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
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