Mal Benning

Malvind Singh Benning (born 2 November 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Shrewsbury Town.

Benning began his career with Walsall and had loan spells with Evesham United and York City.

He made his debut in the English Football League at Walsall in November 2012 and went on to feature 53 times in total, before signing with Mansfield Town in May 2015.

He spent six seasons with Mansfield, making 251 appearances in all competitions.

He signed with Port Vale in June 2021 and helped the club to win promotion out of League Two via the play-offs in 2022.

He transferred to Shrewsbury Town in August 2023.

Benning, whose parents are Indian Sikhs, was born in West Bromwich, West Midlands.

He was educated at Queen Mary's Grammar School and is a Liverpool supporter.

Speaking in 2023, he said he attended gurdwara prayers at least twice a week.

He was named on Kick It Out's new advisory board in June 2021; Benning had been targeted for racist abuse on Twitter in January 2020, which was reported to the police by the Professional Footballers' Association, though Benning stated that other than that he had "not experienced much 'racism' as one of very few Asian players in the professional game" (0.25% of the 3,700 professional players in 2020 were British Asian).

Benning started his career with Walsall, progressing through the youth system from the under-8 side.

He played as a midfielder before gaining weight and being moved to left-back in his early teenage years.

In January 2012, he joined Non-League club Evesham United, who played in the Southern League Premier Division, on a youth loan.

He made his first-team debut for Walsall at the Bescot Stadium on 6 November 2012, in a 4–1 defeat to Scunthorpe United in League One, coming on as a substitute for James Chambers.

He went on to start seven games and make four substitute appearances in the 2012–13 season.

He signed his first professional contract, of two-and-a-half years, in January 2013.

He claimed another goal in a 3–2 defeat at Stevenage the following month, and ended the 2013–14 season with fifteen starts and three appearances from the bench.

He was played mainly at right-back in his early career, keeping the experienced Ben Purkiss out of the team.

On 5 March 2014, he scored his first goal in senior football in a 2–1 defeat at Coventry City.

He made 13 starts and 11 substitute appearances for Walsall in the 2014–15 season, and was often played further up the pitch from his familiar left-back position by manager Dean Smith.

Benning joined League Two club York City on 22 January 2015 on a one-month loan, with manager Russ Wilcox looking to provide competition for the ever-present Femi Ilesanmi.

He made his debut in a 1–1 home draw with Burton Albion two days later and his loan was extended by a second month in February 2015.

Having made nine appearances he was recalled by Walsall on 16 March 2015 after an injury to Andy Taylor.

Benning was released in May 2015.

Benning signed for League Two club Mansfield Town on 22 May 2015.

He suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in October 2015 and was out of action for four months; he tested his recovery from the injury by tackling a brick wall.

Manager Adam Murray had initially worried that Benning could be ruled out for the whole of the 2015–16 season, but it transpired that no surgery was necessary to repair the damage as 12 weeks in a brace was sufficient to allow the body to heal itself.

He signed a new contract of undisclosed length in May 2016, having scored four goals from 33 games.

He missed just one league and one EFL Trophy game during the 2016–17 season, playing a total of 52 times and scoring one goal, as the club posted a 12th-place finish.

He told the media that new manager Steve Evans had "made an impact instantly" and "made it clear that he's striving for promotion", but that for Benning "the main focus is to keep my place in the team".

This was his only goal from 34 appearances in the 2017–18 season, one in which Mansfield finished one place outside the play-offs.

Benning adapted well to the new manager's wing-back system and after he increased his running statistics towards the end of the season credited Flitcroft's work ethic in training for his improved fitness levels.

He signed a new one-year contract in February 2018.

However, he was sent off in a 1–0 defeat to Accrington Stanley at Field Mill on 31 March, a lack of discipline which caused him to be criticised by newly appointed manager David Flitcroft.

He scored a winning goal against local rivals Chesterfield on 14 April, which earned him the nickname "Sir Mal" from supporters.

Benning featured 55 times over the course of the 2018–19 season, missing just one league game.

Mansfield finished in fourth place but were beaten on penalties by Newport County in the semi-finals of the play-offs despite Benning converting his penalty.

Flitcroft was sacked after the defeat, though Benning said that he was ready to focus on football again after returning from holiday in Mexico and that he and the rest of the squad had had positive meetings with new manager John Dempster.

However, the new season went poorly and Dempster was replaced by Graham Coughlan in December.

Benning played 39 games in the 2019–20 season, which saw Mansfield finish 21st on points per game after the season was curtailed early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England.