Ben Morris (footballer)

Ben Morris
Morris playing for Ipswich Town in 2018
Personal information
Full name Benjamin James Morris[1]
Date of birth (1999-07-06) 6 July 1999 (age 25)[2]
Place of birth Colchester, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Detroit City
Number 9
Youth career
0000–2013 Cornard United
2013–2016 Ipswich Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2023 Ipswich Town 4 (0)
2016–2017 → Woking (loan) 1 (0)
2018–2019 → Forest Green Rovers (loan) 4 (1)
2022 → GAIS (loan) 28 (4)
2023– Detroit City 65 (17)
International career
2015–2016 England U17 10 (1)
2016–2017 England U18 2 (0)
2017–2018 England U19 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:35, 27 October 2024 (UTC)

Benjamin James Morris (born 6 July 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Detroit City in the USL Championship.

Club career

Ipswich Town

Morris became a schoolboy player with Town during the 2013–14 season and a full academy player in June 2015, signing a two-year scholarship, before he signed a two-year pro deal on his 17th birthday. After playing regularly for the Town Under-23s, he featured on the bench for the first team, before joining National League side Woking on a youth loan in March 2017, making one appearance for the Surrey-based side.[4]

He made his senior Ipswich debut as a second-half substitute in an EFL Cup match at Crystal Palace on 22 August 2017, getting an assist for Ipswich's goal in a 2–1 defeat.[5] He signed a contract extension in November 2017, extending his stay at Ipswich until 2019, with the option of an additional year extension.[6] Morris made his full league debut for the club as an 80th minute substitute against Hull City on 13 March 2018.[7] Morris made his first league start for the club a month later against Nottingham Forest[8]

On 17 December 2018, Morris signed a new contract at Ipswich, keeping him at the club until 2021, with the option of an additional year extension.[9]

Forest Green Rovers (loan)

On 31 August 2018, Morris joined League Two side Forest Green Rovers on loan for the 2018–19 season. He scored his first professional goal in a 2–1 win over Carlisle United on 24 November 2018. Morris was recalled from his loan spell on 3 January 2019. He made eight appearances in all competitions for the Gloucestershire based club during his loan spell.[10]

Return to Ipswich

In February 2019, Morris suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training.[11] He made his return from injury in December 2019, featuring regularly for Ipswich's under-23 side.[12] On 17 January 2020, he scored in a 3–1 win against Norwich City under-23s,[13] before netting a brace against Coventry City under-23s ten days later in a 3–0 win.[14] In August 2020, Morris suffered a second ACL injury, only eight months after returning to action following a similar injury.[15]

After working his way back to fitness, in June 2021, Morris signed a new one-year contract at Ipswich, with the option of an additional years' extension.[16]

GAIS (loan)

On 31 January 2022, Morris joined Swedish side GAIS on loan until November 2022.[17]

Detroit City

On 15 February 2023, Morris was signed to a two-year contract with USL Championship side Detroit City FC with an option in place for the 2024 season.[18]

International career

Morris made his international debut for the England U17 team on 5 February 2016, in a 1–1 draw with Portugal. He scored his first international goal in a 2–0 win over France on 9 May 2016. He was part of the England under-17 side the competed at the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, coming off the bench in a 1–0 loss to Spain in the quarter-final of the tournament.[19]

He won his first cap for the England U18 team on 1 September 2016, as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 win over Italy at the Highbury Stadium.[20] He won 2 caps for England's under-18's during 2016.[21]

He made his debut for the England U19 team on 20 July 2018, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Ukraine.[22]

Career statistics

As of match played 7 May 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ipswich Town 2016–17[4] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2017–18[23] Championship 3 0 0 0 1 0 — 4 0
2018–19[24] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2019–20[25] League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020–21[26] League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 0
Woking (loan) 2016–17[4] National League 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 1 0
Forest Green Rovers (loan) 2018–19[24] League Two 4 1 1 0 0 0 3[a] 0 8 1
GAIS (loan) 2022 Ettan 18 4 0 0 — — 18 4
Detroit City FC 2023 USL Championship
2024
Career total 27 5 1 0 1 0 3 0 32 5
  1. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

References

  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Ipswich Town" (PDF). English Football League. p. 19. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Ben Morris". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  3. ^ Ben Morris at Soccerway. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Games played by Ben Morris in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Crystal Palace 2-1 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Morris Signs New Contract". Ipswich Town F.C. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Ipswich Town 0-3 Hull City". BBC Sport. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Nottingham Forest 2-1 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Ben Pens New Deal". Ipswich Town F.C. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Morris Back From Forest Green Loan - Ipswich Town News". TWTD.co.uk. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Morris Out for Season After Undergoing Surgery". TWTD.co.uk. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Sears Plays 45 Minutes on Return as U23s Lose at Millwall". TWTD.co.uk. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  13. ^ "U23s Beat Canaries". TWTD.co.uk. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Morris Nets Twice as U23s Win at Coventry". TWTD.co.uk. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Morris Suffers Second ACL Injury". TWTD.co.uk. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  16. ^ "Ben Signs New Deal". Ipswich Town F.C. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Loan Moves For Town Trio". Ipswich Town FC. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Source: Detroit City FC reaches deal with former Ipswich Town striker". The Detroit News. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Dozzell and Morris Win Caps But England U17s Exit Euros". TWTD. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  20. ^ "Duo Win First England U18s Caps as Subs". TWTD. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  21. ^ "'I want to show him what I can do' - Young Lion Morris out to prove his worth to Hurst". East Anglian Daily Times. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Chalobah Skippers and Morris on as Sub as England U19s Draw". TWTD. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  23. ^ "Games played by Ben Morris in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  24. ^ a b "Games played by Ben Morris in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  25. ^ "Games played by Ben Morris in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  26. ^ "Games played by Ben Morris in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 November 2017.