Benjamin Owen "Ben" Swallow (born 20 October 1989) is a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 professional footballer who plays as a Midfielder

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 or Forward for Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers F.C.

Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....

.

Early life

As a child, Swallow attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School in Whitchurch, Cardiff

Whitchurch, Cardiff

Whitchurch is a suburb in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is approximately 3 miles north of the centre of the city on the A470 road and A4054 road. Its estimated population as of 2004 was 15,649. It falls within the Whitchurch & Tongwynlais ward.-History:Whitchurch draws its name from...

, where he was in the year below Wales

Wales national football team

The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

 international Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale

Gareth Frank Bale is a Welsh footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team. Bale began his professional career with Southampton in 2005 and was transferred to Tottenham two years later...

.

Career

After spending seven years playing schoolboy football for Cardiff City

Cardiff City F.C.

Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

, Swallow moved to Bristol Rovers' Centre of Excellence, based at the Bristol Academy of Sport

Bristol Academy of Sport

The Bristol Academy of Sport is based at Filton College to the north of Bristol, and provides sports coaching and college-level education to potential elite-level athletes....

, before being awarded his first professional contract at the start of the 2008–09

2008–09 in English football

The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...

 season. His promotion to the first team squad coincided with a decision to withdraw the reserve team from the league, and instead send young players out on loan to other clubs, resulting in him playing for Taunton Town

Taunton Town F.C.

Taunton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Taunton, Somerset, England. They compete in the Southern Football League Division One South & West, and play their home matches at their Wordsworth Drive ground which they moved into during the 1953 season...

, Bridgwater Town

Bridgwater Town F.C.

Bridgwater Town Football Club are a football club from Bridgwater, Somerset, England. The original version of the club was founded in 1898. They currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West. The club plays their home games at Fairfax Park...

 and Chippenham Town

Chippenham Town F.C.

Chippenham Town are an English football club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division. They are nicknamed the Bluebirds and they play their home matches at Hardenhuish Park. Their home kit consists of a blue shirt, blue shorts and blue socks...

 during his first season as a pro.

Swallow had earned much praise for his pre-season performances in 2009, and his senior debut came on 11 August 2009, when he played in a League Cup

Football League Cup

The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 first round tie against Aldershot Town

Aldershot Town F.C.

Aldershot Town Football Club is an association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division club Aldershot Football Club...

, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute for Sean Rigg

Sean Rigg

Sean Michael Rigg is an English footballer who plays for League Two side Port Vale. He can play on the wing or as a striker.Having graduated through the Bristol Academy of Sport, his professional career began at Bristol Rovers in 2006...

.

Since then, he is occasionally used as a substitute, coming on for tired wing-men, or to come on as a fast, young impact player. He is a fans favourite with his committed forward runs, and confidence.

On the 9th November 2010, Ben scored his first senior goal for the club in an emphatic 6-3 win over Wycombe Wanderers.

Swallow scored his second goal for rovers in the next round of the JPT against Exeter.

On the 31st August 2011, Ben joined Bath City on a 3 month loan.

External links

• Ben Swallow profile on bristolrovers.co.uk