PERS. INFORMATION
Name: Ben Cushnie
Date of birth: 07/08/2001
Place of birth: Hillsborough
Nationality: British
Language: English
Club: Bangor FC
Favourite position: CAM
Favourite foot: Right
CLUB HISTORY
| Club | Years |
|---|---|
| Glentoran FC | Youth – 2024 |
| Ards FC | 2019 – 2020 (on loan) |
| Dungannon Swifts FC | 2022 – 2023 (on loan) |
| Bangor FC | 2023 – 2024 (on loan) |
| Bangor FC | 2024 – |
INTERVIEW
Introduce yourself…
Been at Bangor for 3 years now, before that I spent 11 years at Glentoran from the academy right the way to the first team, while having loans at Ards and Dungannon.
As a centre-forward, what would you say are your greatest strengths? Is it positioning, finishing, hold-up play, link-up with teammates?
I would say my greatest attribute is on the ball and my ability to create chances.
You started out at Lisburn Youth before moving to Glentoran’s academy at a young age. What were the biggest differences you noticed between playing youth football at Lisburn and then at Glentoran?
Even at that age is was just the step up to training and playing against the best players in country.
You had a loan spell at Dungannon Swifts, what were the differences in expectations / style / level compared to your previous experiences? How did you adjust your game in those environments?
Dungannon was a lot different to Glentoran, I went from a team competing at the top to a team that was struggling at the time, so as a team we had less of the ball and has to concentrate defensively more.
Coming through to the first team at Glentoran, what were your ambitions, and how did you prepare mentally and physically for that step up?
My ambition was obviously to reach the first team and cement my position while scoring goals. I didn’t really prepare any different, I just see every game as the same.
Who were the mentors/coaches at Glentoran who influenced you most, and what specific pieces of advice or feedback from them do you still carry with you?
Windy helped me a lot at the glens, at the time I played on the wing and was also very direct and he always encouraged me to continue that.
You joined Bangor on loan initially, then committed permanently. What were the key factors in deciding that making the move to Bangor on a long-term basis was the best choice for you?
Before I joined Bangor I wasn’t really enjoying my football anyway. As soon as I joined, I started enjoying it again and that was down to everyone within the club. From management, players, board members and fans, it’s an unbelievable club so I knew it was the best option for me.
Were there any moments at Bangor that made you realise you were capable of performing at that level—that perhaps surprised you or others?
I also know myself that when I’m fit and enjoying football I’m more than capable of performing at that level.
What does success look like for you at Bangor — team-achieving promotion, scoring milestones, personal development, or something else?
I think first year back in the premiership success for any team is just staying up and anything else is a bonus. We’ve started off well and continuing to improve so the aim has to be to continue that to stay up, then aiming for top 6 and European play-off spots.
