Liam Bennett

Cambridge United's longest-serving player did not arrive through the front door. Bennett was on trial with the club while still at AFC Sudbury, then took the roundabout route via St Neots Town, Cambridge United's partner club, where he made eight league appearances and scored once before the parent club brought him in on a free transfer in June 2021.

The path from there ran through loan spells rather than a straight line into the first team. An open-ended move to Hemel Hempstead Town brought a debut in a 1-0 defeat at Concord Rangers, but only four appearances followed. A season-long loan to Walsall in 2022-23 looked more substantial, and Bennett made 20 league appearances and scored once before defensive injuries at Cambridge United forced an early recall in December that year.

Back at the club, he became a fixture. A two-year contract followed in May 2022, with an option for a further year, and he signed again in June 2025. By the following September he had made 160 league appearances for Cambridge United and scored three goals, numbers that reflect a right-back who has been picked, and kept in the side, far more often than not. Recognition came in the 2022-23 season with a January Player of the Month award, and in April 2024 he was named Cambridge United's Player of the Year.

There has been no call-up to any England youth or senior squad along the way. What Bennett has built instead is longevity at one club, from trialist and loanee.