Latest news with #GaryBennett
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Collins names Bennett as Sunderland's second best centre back
Throughout Friday, we are revealing former Sunderland defender Danny Collins' top five Black Cats central defenders of the past 50 years. In third place, Collins chose Steve Bould, who spent a season at the club from 1999-200 after 11 distinguished and trophy-laden years at Arsenal."I know he didn't play too many games and came in at 36-years-old but Sunderland were back in the Premier League and secured a good, solid seventh-placed finish. He was a classy player and maybe would have doubted himself after so long but Arsenal and was straight in with the armband."He was brilliant but only played 23 games, which is why we're looking at the other two."Taking the silver medal is Gary Bennett, who made almost 450 appearances between 1984 and 1995 for the club, placing him fifth on the club's all-time appearance list."Longevity - 443 games. Goalscoring centre back who chipped in after scoring on his debut. I didn't see too much of Benno but by all accounts he was a modern centre back in the way he stepped in on the ball. He could drive forward, was quick and ticked a lot of boxes."He's on one of the staircases [at the Stadium of Light]. I see him every time I'm at one of the games. The achievements and longevity is amazing."Listen to Collins' selections hereOr come back later on Thursday to discover who Collins considers the best centre-back to play for Sunderland.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Playing against him was intimidating' - Smith's top five 'hard men'
Throughout Thursday, we are revealing who former Sunderland attacker Martin Smith has picked as the Black Cats' all-time toughest third place, he has picked "stylish and classy" centre-back Gary Bennett, who made more than 350 appearances for the club during an 11-year stint."You would always find out about it if you got on the wrong side of him," Smith told BBC Radio Newcastle. "I spoke to somebody else who also played with him, just to confirm what I thought, and even they said he could handle himself."He could always stick his foot in. If you think back, as a centre-back, some of the players you were up coming up against were real handfuls."There were some proper centre-forwards that would stick their elbows in and stamp on your feet, but Bennett always stood up to that. He was just solid."At number two, Smith has gone for another cult hero - the 'red and white tractor' John Kay."He got that nickname in a game against Leeds United," he explained. "I remember when Peter Haddock came off, Howard Wilkinson said it looked like he had been ran over by a tractor because of the stud marks down his chest."I always knew his reputation, so playing practice games against him was quite intimidating."I remember sticking a ball through his legs in a practice game once. He told me not to do it again but, thinking nothing of it, I did it again. He then told me he was going to break my legs and, the next time I had the ball, he absolutely wiped me out."But who has Smith crowned as Sunderland's greatest 'hard man'?Find out on BBC Sounds now - or come back to this page a little later today
Washington Post
05-06-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Runaway dog clears 8-foot fence, runs 100 miles, is rescued in shipping harbor
It was around 6 a.m. when two men in a boat spotted what they thought was a seal struggling through the rough waters of a natural harbor in southern England. As their vessel drew closer, though, they realized it was a dog fighting against the current. 'I was absolutely gobsmacked,' said Gary Bennett, the captain of the 60-foot ferry, which transports oil workers to a nearby island. 'You don't see a dog swimming in the main shipping channels ever.'
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Ballard has written his name in Sunderland folklore'
Dan Ballard sent Sunderland to Wembley scoring a last-minute extra-time winner in the Championship play-off semi-final against Coventry. The defender put in back-to-back man of the match performances in each leg for the Black Cats and BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland commentary duo sung his praises. As the final whistle sounded, Gary Bennett said, "What a way to win a game. Fantastic."Nick Barnes added: "What a night. Sunderland didn't really turn up for the 90 minutes. They made the change in extra time. Mundle coming on. They changed the formation. They went until the end."In the build up to the winning goal, former Sunderland captain Bennett backed Ballard to score and gloated about his mystic powers after the game finished. "We called it. We said Daniel Ballard will score and he has done. He never lets us down," he added: "He was immense on Friday night at Coventry City. Suddenly from nowhere Sunderland have dug this out tonight and Dan Ballard has written his name in Sunderland folklore."Despite the positive result, there were frustrations with Sunderland's approach to the game with Coventry enjoying control for most of the match and the Sky Blues' goal felt inevitable. "We've been calling it all night," Bennett said. "He's got to change the formation and when he did change it we had more possession of the ball. We started to cause them more problems. "Playing 4-4-2, away from home it worked. At home, it didn't work. Simple as that."Barnes finished the post-match summary with a bold claim. "I'm lost for words, absolutely lost for words. It's the most remarkable end to a game I think I've probably ever seen," he can listen to more reaction to Sunderland's win on BBC Sounds.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Regis Le Bris, take a bow'
Sunderland legend Gary Bennett has praised Regis Le Bris for a tactical masterclass in the Black Cats' 2-1 play-off win against Coventry. The Frenchman has come under fire for a poor run of results at the end of the regular Championship season but has stayed calm in press conferences and assured in his approach. He made surprise tactical changes that paid off as his side won the semi-final first leg. Advertisement Bennett, a match summariser for BBC Radio Newcastle, said Le Bris should "take a bow" as the full-time whistle blew. He added: "The players were fantastic. (Eliezer) Mayenda, excellent goal. Wilson Isidor, what a professional performance that was tonight. "Coventry can't complain about that. But saying that, how well did we defend?" After securing play-off qualification early, Le Bris has been rotating his side, which drew criticism from fans and pundits. But Bennett thinks he proved his critics wrong. The former Sunderland captain said: "You look back now and you're thinking resting them players when he has done has worked, because they have put a shift in." Advertisement Bennett's broadcast partner Nick Barnes added: "Regis Le Bris, trust in Regis Le Bris, he knew what he was doing. "He has consistently maintained that his team could do what they have done tonight." You can listen to full post-match reaction on BBC Sounds.
