Ben Reeves
Born 1991 · Age 34
English professional football coach and former player (midfielder). Born 19 Nov 1991 in Verwood; youth product of Southampton; made professional debut for Southampton in 2011; played for Dagenham & Redbridge (loan), Southend United (loan), Milton Keynes Dons, Charlton Athletic, Plymouth Argyle, Gillingham and Eastleigh; capped twice by Northern Ireland; re-joined Southampton in a coaching/support role in 2024.
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Life & Career Timeline
Joined Southampton youth academy
Entered Southampton youth system (youth career listed as 2001–2011).
Signed first professional contract with Southampton
Signed first professional contract — two-year deal with Southampton.
Senior debut for Southampton (League Cup)
Made debut for Southampton, played full 90 minutes in League Cup 3rd round vs Preston North End; provided an assist in 2–1 win.
Loan to Dagenham & Redbridge
Joined Dagenham & Redbridge on a one-month loan from Southampton.
Debut for Dagenham & Redbridge
Made debut in 0–0 draw vs Plymouth Argyle; totaled five appearances on loan.
First goal for Southampton (League Cup)
Scored his first goal for Southampton against Stevenage in the League Cup.
Premier League debut
Made Premier League debut as a substitute in defeat at Everton (Goodison Park).
2012–13 Football League Trophy runner-up (Southend)
Part of Southend United squad that finished runner-up in the Football League Trophy 2012–13 (final played April 2013).
Loan to Southend United (first spell)
Joined Southend United on a one-month loan from Southampton; later extended.
First goal for Southend United
Scored in a 2–1 home defeat to Cheltenham Town while on loan at Southend.
Key goal to reach Football League Trophy final
Scored late in the Football League Trophy Southern Area Final to send Southend United to the final (aggregate 3–2 over Leyton Orient).
Re-joined Southend United (loan until season end)
Returned to Southend United on loan until the end of the season.
Played in Football League Trophy final
Came on as a substitute in the final where Southend lost 2–0 to Crewe; part of runner-up squad for 2012–13 competition.
Released by Southampton
Released by Southampton at the end of the 2012–13 season.
Signed for Milton Keynes Dons
Signed a one-year contract with MK Dons (initial spell began July 2013).
Scored on MK Dons debut (League Cup)
Scored on his debut for MK Dons in a League Cup 2–1 win over Northampton Town.
League debut for MK Dons
Made his league debut for Milton Keynes Dons, played as left-back in a 1–0 win over Crewe.
Scored from striker position vs Rotherham
Played in an unusual striker role and scored a league goal in a 3–2 win over Rotherham United.
FA Cup brace vs Dover Athletic
Scored three goals in the second round FA Cup tie against Dover Athletic (hat-trick).
Scored vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Scored in a 2–0 league win over Wolves.
Scored vs Port Vale
Scored in 3–0 league win over Port Vale.
Scored in 3–3 draw at Wigan
Scored during the 3–3 draw with Wigan Athletic (part of a productive January run).
Scored vs Bristol City
Scored in a 2–2 draw with Bristol City in January 2014.
Scored vs Oldham Athletic
Scored in a 2–1 win over Oldham Athletic in February 2014.
Named in Northern Ireland squad (first call-up)
Received first international call-up for Northern Ireland (qualifies through grandparents from Fermanagh).
Hamstring injury (short-term)
Suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for two games in March 2014.
Returned and scored vs Stevenage (Goal of the Month)
Scored on return in 3–2 win at Stevenage; goal later named March's Goal of the Month.
Ankle ligament injury ruled him out
Suffered ankle ligament damage in late March/early April 2014 that ruled him out for the remainder of the 2013–14 season.
Won four MK Dons end-of-season awards
Swept club awards: Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, MKDSA Player of the Year and Goal of the Year (2013–14 season).
Milton Keynes Dons Player of the Year (2013–14)
Awarded MK Dons Player of the Year (plus Players' Player, MKDSA Player and Goal of the Year) for the 2013–14 season.
Included in LKO Team of the Season
Named in LKO Team of the Season (recognition for 2013–14 performances).
Club exercised contract option
MK Dons took up the option to extend Reeves' contract to keep him at the club for the 2014–15 season.
Signed contract extension (to 2016)
Signed an extension keeping him at MK Dons until 2016.
Scored vs Barnsley
Scored in a 5–3 win over Barnsley early in the 2014–15 season.
Made international debut for Northern Ireland
Came on as a substitute in Euro 2016 qualifier vs Greece (debut described as 'high-pressure').
Scored vs Colchester United
Scored in a 6–0 victory over Colchester United on 29 Nov 2014.
Hamstring injury (December)
Suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out through December 2014.
Football League One runner-up (MK Dons)
MK Dons finished League One runner-up in 2014–15, earning promotion to the Championship (Reeves part of squad).
Scored vs Gillingham
Returned from injury to score in a 4–2 win over Gillingham on 14 Feb 2015.
Scored twice vs Peterborough (Man of the Match)
Scored twice in a 3–0 win over Peterborough United and earned Man of the Match.
Scored vs Oldham Athletic
Scored his seventh goal of the season in a 3–1 win over Oldham Athletic.
Calf problem on international duty ruled him out
Suffered a calf injury while on international duty and was initially ruled out for the remainder of the 2014–15 season.
Returned to play and helped secure promotion
Returned as substitute on final day (3 May 2015), provided assist in 5–1 win over Yeovil Town; MK Dons finished League One runner-up and promoted to Championship.
First Championship start
Played in MK Dons' opening Championship match, assisting in a 4–1 win over Rotherham United.
Signed contract extension to 2017
Signed an extension keeping him at MK Dons until 2017.
Hamstring injury vs Preston (August)
Sustained a hamstring injury in a match against Preston North End and was ruled out for around a month.
Returned from injury (substitute vs Leeds)
Returned to action as a substitute in 2–1 defeat to Leeds United.
Scored twice vs Blackburn Rovers
Netted a brace in a 3–0 victory over Blackburn Rovers — a key league win.
Signed for Charlton Athletic
Joined League One side Charlton Athletic on a two-year contract, reuniting with manager Karl Robinson.
First goal for Charlton (EFL Trophy)
Scored his first goal for Charlton in an EFL Trophy tie against Crawley Town.
EFL League One play-offs winner (Charlton Athletic)
Charlton Athletic won the League One play-offs in 2018–19 (Reeves was part of the squad that season).
Released by Charlton Athletic
Released by Charlton at the end of the 2018–19 season (part of retained/released decisions).
Returned to Milton Keynes Dons
Re-signed for MK Dons on a free transfer after training with the club during pre-season.
Released by MK Dons (one of nine)
Was among nine players released by MK Dons at the conclusion of the 2019–20 campaign.
Trial at Plymouth Argyle
Spent time on trial with Plymouth Argyle in August 2020.
Signed for Plymouth Argyle
Signed for League One club Plymouth Argyle after a week on trial.
First goal for Plymouth (EFL Trophy)
Scored first goal for Plymouth in an EFL Trophy group game against Newport County.
Signed for Gillingham
Joined Gillingham following release from Plymouth (played with Gillingham across 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons).
Released by Plymouth Argyle
Left Plymouth Argyle at the conclusion of the 2020–21 season (club decision).
Released by Gillingham
Released by Gillingham at the end of the 2022–23 season (retained/released list published).
Career league totals (as listed)
Career league total listed as 281 appearances and 36 goals (Wikipedia career totals as of 2024 season entries).
Signed for Eastleigh (National League)
Joined National League club Eastleigh on 1 February 2024.
Departed Eastleigh at season end
Listed among players released/retained; departed Eastleigh at the conclusion of the 2023–24 season.
Re-joined Southampton as Under-21s support player
Returned to Southampton on 15 August 2024 as part of the Under-21s setup to support youth players in the academy (coaching/support role).
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