Name: Rhys Bennett
DOB: 1st September 1991
Dale debut: 4th September 2012 v Fleetwood Town 2-2
Also played for: Bolton Wanderers, Falkirk, Mansfield Town, Peterborough United, Carlisle United, Gillingham, Morecambe
Time at Dale: On 11th June 2012, Rochdale announced that Rhys had signed a one-year contract at the Club effective on 1st July 2012 following his release from Bolton Wanderers, where he had risen through the Youth ranks. He made his debut on 4th September in a 2–2 draw against Fleetwood Town in the Football League Trophy. The game went to a penalty shoot-out which Rochdale won 4–2 and progressed to the second round. He made his league debut on 15th September in a 2–1 win away to AFC Wimbledon, scoring his first goal for the Club on 1st December in a 3–2 defeat to York City, slaloming through the visiting defence from the halfway line and finishing calmly. Following the dismissal of John Coleman in January, Keith Hill returned to manage the Club, Rhys would keep his place in the side, before an injury in a game at Bristol Rovers in March meant he missed the remainder of the campaign, having made 37 appearances.
The following campaign (2013/14) would prove to be a memorable one, as Dale achieved promotion back to League One, Rhys featuring in a number of positions throughout the season, making 25 appearances in all Competitions. He played the full ninety minutes in the FA Cup third round victory over Leeds United, as well as in the game which secured our promotion, a 2-0 win at home to Cheltenham Town.
Rhys’s most consistent run of appearances came in the 2014/15 campaign, when he played 46 times across all competitions, primarily featured in a defensive midfield role through the season, as Dale finished just two places and six points outside the playoff places. Another key part of a run to the fourth round of the FA Cup, he scored a late consolation in the exit to Stoke City, as well as notching twice in the league.
The final season (2015/6) of his first spell at the club was hit by injury, limiting Rhys to just 21 appearances in all Competitions helping Dale to a tenth place finish, just five points off the playoff places, in League One. Bennett also bagged his sixth and seventh goals for Dale, making his final appearance as a late substitute in a 3-0 win over local rivals Bury.
Time after Dale: Following his release at the end of the 2015/16 season, he went on to join League Two side Mansfield Town.
Return to Dale: On 28th January 2023, Rhys returned to Rochdale signing a contract till the end of the 2022/3 season quoted as “There’s been interest since the summer and I just felt like now is the right time. I just want to play football.”
Appearances
2012/12 League Two 33 (2 goals)
2013/14 League Two 22
2014/15 League One 39 (2 goals)
2015/16 League One 16 (2 goals)
2022/23 League Two 1