ℹ️ PERS. INFORMATION
Name: Liam Bennett
Date of birth: 30/11/2001
Place of birth: Bury st Edmund’s
Nationality: English
Language: English
Club: Cambridge United FC
Favourite position: RB/RWB
Favourite foot: Right (However I’m a big believer in whatever you can do on one foot you have to do on the other)
⚽️ CLUB HISTORY
| Club | Years |
|---|---|
| AFC Sudbury | Youth – 2020 |
| St. Neots Town FC | 2020 – 2021 |
| Cambridge United FC | 2021 – |
| Hemel Hempstead Town FC | 2021 – 2022 (on loan) |
| Walsall FC | 2022 – 2023 (on loan) |
🎙️ INTERVIEW (10 questions)
Introduce yourself…
Hi I’m Liam Bennett and I’m a professional footballer for Cambridge united, my journey so far consists of a set back at the age of 16 to rediscovering myself and proven myself in the non-league environment before returning to the professional environment, With over 175 appearances and being Cambridges current longest serving player at the age of 23.
As a right-back, your role covers both defensive duties and supporting attacks. How do you balance those two demands in your game?
The role of being a right back has evolved so much over recent years, first and foremost you are heavily judged on you defending capabilities because you are a defender, however the demand to contribute at the other end of the pitch is more and more common these days, with my high energy tenacious hard working style as a player the evolving role suits me to be able to do both parts of the game, I do a lot of work at training and on my own to make sure I strengthen both areas to be as all rounded as possible.
What do you see as the most important defensive responsibilities for you personally in your squad, and which attacking elements do you prioritise?
As a full back my role consist of most importantly being a good 1v1 defender, it also involves stopping crosses and be strong at defending the back post, from a attacking perspective it’s about being forward thinking and playing forward at the right times, bringing the width and contributing by creating overloads in wide areas and delivering good quality service into the box.
You came through the ranks at AFC Sudbury, a club known for producing young talent. What do you remember most about those early days and the environment there?
After experiencing professional set up from the age of 9 to 16 it was a real eye opener to begin with however it was the best thing that could of happened to me. I was in one of the top non-league set up I believe and most importantly I was playing men’s football at the age of 16, this allowed me to develop and improve so much and learn so much, to any young player the quicker you can get into men’s football no matter the level the better.
After developing at AFC Sudbury, What led to your decision to join St Neots Town. What was appealing about that move at the time?
St Neots town was a feeder club for Cambridge United, I was offered a contract to play for St Neots however train full time with Cambridge 1st team. This meant I was in the shop window everyday and effectively I was on a year long trial in which I believed if I had the opportunity to be in that environment everyday I would prove to Cambridge I am more than good enough.
How did the move to Cambridge United come about? Do you remember the moment you found out they were interested?
After the interest from Cambridge at AFC Sudbury I was offered a trial which eventually led to me receiving this St Neots feeder club offer. At the time I was disappointed as I felt I was ready to receive that pro contract however like I said before backed myself to do the year and reach that end goal of a pro contract the year after.
What were your first impressions stepping into a professional environment after non-league football?
Having had a good upbringing at Colchester United I understood how professional academy football worked, however this was the business end of the football club and therefore had many different experiences. However after experiencing and playing over 100 men’s football games in non-league it allowed me to adapt quickly and is a big factor I believe why I managed to hit the ground running and achieve what I have up until this point.
You were voted Cambridge United’s Player of the Season in 2023/24, which is a big accolade. How did you reflect on that achievement?
This was a really proud moment for me and family and everyone else involved in helping me be the best I can be. To receive this award meant a lot and was a good time to reflect on the achievements and sacrifices I had made to get to this point of recognition in League 1 professional football.
Given that you’ve played under different systems and had loans/very different roles, what has been your biggest challenge in adapting and how did you overcome it?
Last year was a very challenging situation for the football club, as a club in League 1 previously we were predominantly a side that played 4-4-2 and was hard to beat in a low block many times. Last year that changed and we were 3-5-2 predominantly, a formation that many of the players at the football club hadn’t had lots of experience in. I did in my time at Walsall however in my time there we had a lot of the football whereas with Cambridge we were very much not a possession based side. To overcome some of the challenges we faced I spent a lot of time with the senior players in speaking about how to adjust to the system to improve and deal with the different situations that did occur compared to previously at Walsall.
You’re still young for your position (born 2001) and have many years ahead. What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
Short term is to continue to play as many games as I can whilst doing my best to get Cambridge back to League 1 status.
Long term is as many players will say play as high as possible and test myself against some of the best players in the country, but most importantly enjoy and continue to grow every single day to be the best I can be.
