Bradford City wing back Jay Benn talks Wembley and Ireland

The Bantams have just missed out twice themselves, after play-off agony against Carlisle at Brunton Park in 2022-23 was followed by a desperately unlucky 1-0 defeat to Wycombe in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy semi-final back in February.

Three months after the latter defeat, Low Moor native Benn was at the national stadium with Solihull Moors for the FA Trophy final against Gateshead.

The right wing-back was taken off ahead of extra-time while the score was 1-1, and after the game finished 2-2, it was the North East side who prevailed on spot-kicks.

Gateshead celebrate wildly after winning the FA Trophy final on penalties back in May. (Image: Nigel French/PA Wire.)

It rounded off a devastating season for Solihull, who had also lost the National League play-off final a week earlier, Benn missing that defeat to Bromley at Wembley due to injury.

After returning to parent club Lincoln in the summer, he was soon sent on to the Bantams, who are right in the League Two play-off hunt and have already qualified for the knockout stages of the BSM Trophy.

Recalling his one trip to Wembley with Solihull, Benn reflected: “I almost went there twice but unfortunately didn’t make the (play-off) final, having played in the quarter-final and semi-final.

“It was surreal playing there that day against Gateshead. I didn’t know where I was for 10 minutes, I was just looking around in awe.

“Obviously it was special too because I had all my family there, but once the ball gets moving, you don’t think about anything like that.”

Despite the heartbreaking conclusion to their campaign, Benn has only positive things to say about his spell with Solihull.

He enthused: “I loved my time there.

“The group was massive about winning and we had a huge mentality.

“We were unlucky that we didn’t go completely all the way but I learned so much there.”

Jay Benn has made a really positive impression on the BSM Trophy so far this season, so could he back at Wembley sooner than he expected? (Image: Thomas Gadd.)

Benn’s journey in football was a bit different from the start, as he never came through an academy set-up.

And in his first season at Lincoln after joining from Halifax, Benn made the brave move to leave England for Ireland, where he played for Bohemians on loan.

He recalled: “The Irish move came at the last minute as well.

“I didn’t understand the season over there before I went, so I didn’t realise it went through the summer.

“I think it benefitted me because I had games constantly coming up.

“That’s how you get better as a footballer by playing games, it’s not a detriment at all.”

It was a leap into the unknown for Benn, but it ended up being one he looks back on with great fondness.

He said: “I knew very little about the league.

“There were a few Irish lads at Lincoln (such as former Bantams defender Paudie O’Connor) so I had some conversations with them about the standard over there.

“But it was just jumping in at the deep end and seeing how it was.

“It was a different league, and obviously moving over to Ireland meant having less contact with my family.

“There were loads of sides to it but making a move like that builds character and builds you as a person as well.

“All in all, I enjoyed it massively over there at Bohemians.”