Ben Purrington
English footballer (born 1996)
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Ben Purrington (born 20 May 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left back, left wing-back, left midfielder or left winger for Cambridge United.
 Purrington playing for Rotherham United in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ben Purrington[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 May 1996[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Exeter, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.79 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cambridge United | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2013 | Plymouth Argyle | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2017 | Plymouth Argyle | 52 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Rotherham United | 20 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → AFC Wimbledon (loan) | 26 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Charlton Athletic (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2019–2022 | Charlton Athletic | 86 | (7) |
| 2022–2024 | Ross County | 23 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | Exeter City | 33 | (1) |
| 2025– | Cambridge United | 32 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:53, 17 March 2026 (UTC) | |||
Career
Plymouth Argyle
Purrington was born in Exeter, Devon.[3] He joined the Plymouth Argyle youth academy in September 2005 when he was nine.[4] He signed his first professional contract in May 2013.[5] Seven months later, Purrington made his first-team debut in a League Two match against Oxford United,[6][7] and scored his first senior goal in his fourth match; an FA Cup tie with Port Vale.[8]
He soon became a regular in the side after an injury suffered to teammate Gary Sawyer at the beginning of the 2016–17 season.
Rotherham United
On 30 January 2017, Purrington completed a move to Championship side Rotherham United for a reported £300,000 fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.[9] He made his debut in a 1–0 away defeat to Bristol City on 4 February 2017.[10]
Loans to AFC Wimbledon and Charlton Athletic
Purrington joined League One club AFC Wimbledon on 1 August 2018 on loan for the 2018–19 season.[11] He scored his first goal for Wimbledon in an FA Cup tie against Halifax Town on 1 December 2018.[12] He was recalled to Rotherham United on 10 January 2019.[13]
On the same day as his recall, Purrington joined League One club Charlton Athletic on loan until the end of the season.[14]
Charlton Athletic
On 2 July 2019, Purrington joined Charlton Athletic on a three-year contract.[15]
On 13 June 2022, it was confirmed that Purrington would be leaving Charlton Athletic following the expiration of his contract.[16]
Ross County
On 29 June 2022, Purrington signed a two-year deal at Ross County.[17]
Exeter City
On 11 January 2024, Purrington signed an 18-month contract at Exeter City.[18]
On 5 May 2025, Exeter announced the player would leave the club in June when his contract expired.[19]
Cambridge United
On 23 June 2025, Purrington agreed to join League Two side Cambridge United on a one-year deal upon the expiration of his contract with Exeter City.[20]
Personal life
Purrington's uncle is former England rugby union player Richard Hill.[21] Purrington is the older brother of Tom Purrington, who also plays football semi-professionally as a midfielder for Taunton Town.
Career statistics
- As of match played 17 March 2026
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Plymouth Argyle | 2013–14[22] | League Two | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| 2014–15[23] | League Two | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2015–16[24] | League Two | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[10] | League Two | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 64 | 1 | ||
| Rotherham United | 2016–17[10] | Championship | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18[25] | League One | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[26] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| AFC Wimbledon (loan) | 2018–19[26] | League One | 26 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 30 | 1 |
| Charlton Athletic (loan) | 2018–19[26] | League One | 18 | 0 | — | — | 3[e] | 1 | 21 | 1 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2019–20[27] | Championship | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 2 | |
| 2020–21[28] | League One | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 32 | 2 | |
| 2021–22[29] | League One | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[g] | 1 | 31 | 4 | |
| Total | 104 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 115 | 9 | ||
| Ross County | 2022–23[30] | Scottish Premiership | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2[h] | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| 2023–24[31] | Scottish Premiership | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 2 | ||
| Exeter City | 2023–24[31] | League One | 12 | 1 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| 2024–25[32] | League One | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[i] | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 1 | ||
| Cambridge United | 2025–26[33] | League Two | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Career total | 285 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 332 | 14 | ||
- Two appearances in Football League Trophy, one in League Two play-offs
- Three appearances in the EFL Trophy
- One appearance in the EFL Trophy
- One appearance in the EFL Trophy
- Three appearances in the League One play-offs
- One appearance in the EFL Trophy
- Two appearances in the EFL Trophy
- Two appearances in the Scottish Premiership play-offs
- Three appearances in the EFL Trophy
Honours
Rotherham United
Charlton Athletic
