Ben Hamer
![]() Hamer celebrating winning the League One title with Charlton Athletic in 2012 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Benjamin John Hamer[1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 20 November 1987||
Place of birth | Chard, England | ||
Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.92 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Sheffield Wednesday | ||
Number | 26 | ||
Youth career | |||
2004–2006 | Reading | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2006–2011 | Reading | 0 | (0) |
2006–2007 | → Crawley Town (loan) | 45 | (0) |
2007–2008 | → Brentford (loan) | 20 | (0) |
2008–2009 | → Brentford (loan) | 45 | (0) |
2010–2011 | → Brentford (loan) | 10 | (0) |
2011 | → Exeter City (loan) | 18 | (0) |
2011–2014 | Charlton Athletic | 114 | (0) |
2014–2018 | Leicester City | 12 | (0) |
2015 | → Nottingham Forest (loan) | 0 | (0) |
2015 | → Bristol City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
2018–2021 | Huddersfield Town | 22 | (0) |
2019–2020 | → Derby County (loan) | 25 | (0) |
2021–2022 | Swansea City | 21 | (0) |
2022–2024 | Watford | 20 | (0) |
2024– | Sheffield Wednesday | 0 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:10, 23 May 2024 (UTC) |
Benjamin John Hamer (/ˈheɪmər/; born 20 November 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Sheffield Wednesday.
Career
Early career
Hamer was born in Chard, Somerset, and is a Bristol City fan.[3] His family moved to Germany at the age of 3 and, consequently, he is a fluent German speaker. However, when he was 8, his family came back to England. He attended Holyrood Community School in Chard which is near to his birthplace. His footballing ability led to a spell playing for Somerset at county level, where he was spotted by a Reading scout. He signed for Reading at the age of 15.[4]
Reading
Loan to Crawley Town FC
Having risen through the youth academy at Reading, Hamer went on loan to Crawley Town for the 2006–07 season, where he missed just one league game and was named as Player of the Season.[5]
Loans to Brentford
On 4 July 2007, Hamer signed a new one-year contract to keep him at Reading until the end of the 2007–08 season.[6] He joined Brentford in an initial one-month loan deal on 11 August 2007,[7] which was subsequently extended to 14 October 2007.[8] Brentford re-signed Hamer in an emergency loan deal on 1 January 2008, following an injury to their first choice 'keeper, Simon Brown.[9] On 28 January 2008, his loan was extended to the end of the 2007–08 season.[10]
He signed a new one-year deal with Reading and returned to Brentford for a third loan spell on a season-long loan on 17 June, and was Andy Scott's first choice goalkeeper for the 2008–09 season, in which Brentford were champions of League Two.[11] As well as winning a League Two Champions medal, Hamer also won the Puma Golden Glove award for League 2 having recorded 20 clean sheets within the season.[12]
On 18 June 2009, Hamer signed a new two-year contract and was expected to jostle with Adam Federici for the Number 1 jersey. On 31 August, Hamer was loaned back to Brentford for a fourth spell with the Bees.[13][14]
Loan to Exeter City
On 18 January 2011, Hamer joined League One side Exeter City on a three-month loan deal.[15] Hamer made his Exeter City debut against Walsall on 22 January 2011.
Charlton Athletic
![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Ben_Hamer_05-05-2012_2.jpg/170px-Ben_Hamer_05-05-2012_2.jpg)
On 1 August 2011, Hamer joined Charlton Athletic on a three-year contract and was immediately handed the number one jersey.[16] He made his debut on 23 August 2011 against his former club Reading in the League Cup first round and helped Charlton to a 2–1 win. After some initial nervous performances he cemented his place in the team, making crucial saves throughout Charlton's title winning League One campaign.[citation needed] He clinched promotion to the Championship with Chris Powell's side in April 2012, with a 1–0 win over Carlisle United and continued to play regularly for the Addicks during the 2012–13 season. A series of injuries resulted in Hamer playing fewer matches in the 2013–14 season.
Leicester City
After several weeks of strong speculation about Hamer's move to Leicester City, it was finally confirmed on 22 May 2014, by Hamer himself on social media. Hamer says he made the move to the newly promoted Foxes for the chance to play Premier League football.[17] He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat at home to Shrewsbury Town in a League Cup second round tie. Following an injury to Kasper Schmeichel whilst on international duty, Hamer made his Premier League debut on 13 September, putting in a very good performance and keeping a clean sheet as Leicester secured a 1–0 win at Stoke City, their first victory since returning to the Premier League.[18]
He played his second game for Leicester against Premier League champions, Manchester City in a 1–0 home defeat on 13 December. After playing 7 games for Leicester, Hamer lost his place when on 6 January 2015, Leicester signed experienced goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer from Chelsea to help cover for the injured Kasper Schmeichel.[19] In the 2016–17 season, Hamer started Leicester's sixth Champions League group game, giving him his Champions League debut. Leicester lost 5–0 to FC Porto.[20]
Loan to Nottingham Forest
On 25 July 2015, Hamer joined Championship side Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan deal.[21] However, he returned to Leicester on 4 August after the loan was cut short due to Nottingham Forest's financial issues.[22]
Loan to Bristol City
On 11 August 2015, Hamer joined Championship side Bristol City on season-long loan deal.[23] However, he returned to Leicester City on 17 November 2015 after making only five appearances for the club.[24]
Huddersfield Town
On 1 June 2018, Huddersfield Town announced the signing of Hamer on a free transfer once his contract ended on 1 July. Huddersfield fans were not impressed when Hamer was named number 1 for the 2020–21 season but his performances have won over the fans.[25]
Derby County (loan)
On 8 August 2019, Hamer joined Derby County on loan for the 2019–20 season as back up for Kelle Roos.[26] He made his debut and kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win at Scunthorpe United in the EFL Cup first round. On 30 November 2019, Hamer made his league debut[27] and thereafter became first choice keeper.
Swansea City
On 15 January 2021, Hamer completed a permanent move to Swansea City, for an undisclosed fee. He signed an 18-month contract.
Watford
On 19 July 2022, Hamer joined Watford on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract.[28] He made his league debut for Watford in their 2-2 draw away to Coventry City on 10 April 2023, coming in for the suspended Daniel Bachmann.
On 23 May 2024, it was confirmed that Hamer would leave Watford following the expiry of his contract.[29][30]
Sheffield Wednesday
On 14 June 2024, Sheffield Wednesday confirmed Hamer would be joining them after the expiration of his Watford contract.[31]
Career statistics
![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Hamer_23-08-2008.jpg/170px-Hamer_23-08-2008.jpg)
- As of match played 2 March 2024
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Reading | 2006–07[32] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
2007–08[33] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
2008–09[34] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2009–10[35] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
2010–11[36] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
Crawley Town (loan) | 2006–07[37] | Conference National | 45 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 47 | 0 | ||
Brentford (loan) | 2007–08[33] | League Two | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
2008–09[34] | League Two | 45 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 49 | 0 | ||
2010–11[36] | League One | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
Total | 75 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 80 | 0 | |||
Exeter City (loan) | 2010–11[36] | League One | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
Charlton Athletic | 2011–12[38] | League One | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
2012–13[39] | Championship | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | |||
2013–14[40] | Championship | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | |||
Total | 114 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 121 | 0 | |||
Leicester City | 2014–15[41] | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
2015–16 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
2016–17[42] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
2017–18[43] | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |||
Total | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |||
Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2015–16[44] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
Bristol City (loan) | 2015–16[44] | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
Huddersfield Town | 2018–19[45] | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
2019–20[46] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
2020–21[47] | Championship | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |||
Total | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |||
Derby County (loan) | 2019–20[46] | Championship | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | ||
Swansea City | 2020–21[47] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2021–22[48] | Championship | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |||
Total | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |||
Watford | 2022–23[49] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
2023–24[50] | Championship | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |||
Total | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |||
Sheffield Wednesday | 2024–25[51] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
Career total | 356 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 394 | 0 |
- ^ Appearance in FA Trophy
- ^ a b Appearance in the Football League Trophy
- ^ Appearance in UEFA Champions League
Honours
Brentford
Charlton Athletic
Individual
References
- ^ "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ a b Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2008). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09. Mainstream. ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8.
- ^ "Ben Hamer can't wait for Charlton derby test". southlondon-today.co.uk/Sport. 11 September 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ FC, Reading. "20. Ben Hamer". Reading FC. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Osano impresses as a number of youngsters benefit from current loans". Reading F.C. 9 October 2006. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2006.
- ^ "Four new contracts agreed". Reading F.C. 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2007.
- ^ "Royals agree another loan move". Reading F.C. 11 August 2007. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
- ^ "Youngster loan deal extended". Reading F.C. 12 September 2007. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
- ^ "Ben returns". Brentford F.C. 1 January 2008. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
- ^ "Ben's Loan Extended". Brentford F.C. 28 January 2008. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 28 January 2008.
- ^ "Hamer signs deal & makes loan move". Reading F.C. 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- ^ "Ben scoops award". Brentford F.C. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- ^ "Hamer signs two-year deal". Reading F.C. 18 June 2009. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
- ^ "Exeter City sign Reading keeper Ben Hamer on loan". getbracknell.co.uk. 18 June 2009. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
- ^ "Ben Hamer signs new Reading FC deal". BBC Sport. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Keeper captured". Charlton Athletic F.C. 1 August 2011. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ "Delighted To Have Joined @OfficialFoxes". Ben Hamer. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ^ "Stoke 0–1 Leicester". BBC Sport. 13 September 2014.
- ^ "Leicester City Sign Mark Schwarzer". Leicester City F.C. 6 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ "Champions League – Group G". BBC Sport. 7 December 2016.
- ^ "Reds secure Hamer". Nottingham Forest F.C. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ "Leicester City goalkeeper Ben Hamer returns from Nottingham Forest loan over financial issues". Leicester Mercury. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 7 August 2015.
- ^ "Hamer joins for the season". Bristol City F.C. 11 August 2015. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ^ "Hamer heads back to Leicester". Bristol City F.C. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "TRANSFER: BEN HAMER TO JOIN TOWN ON 1 JULY". 1 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ "Rams Land Goalkeeper Hamer on Loan". www.dcfc.co.uk. 8 August 2019.
- ^ "Hamer starts in goal as Cocu makes four changes for QPR clash". www.dcfc.co.uk. 9 March 2020.
- ^ "Official: Hornets Sign Hamer". Watford FC. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Official: Ngakia Signs New Contract & Trio Depart". Watford FC. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "Watford: Jeremy Ngakia signs new deal as Jake Livermore among trio released". BBC Sport. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "Ben Hamer agrees Owls deal". Sheffield Wednesday FC. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2006/2007". Preston North End Mad. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ a b c "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ a b c "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ "Crawley Town 2–3 Lewes". Crawley Town Mad. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ a b "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ a b "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ a b "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Hamer in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ "Arsenal striker Robin van Persie named PFA Player of the Year". BBC Sport. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ "Ben scoops award". Brentford F.C. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
External links
![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Ben Hamer profile at Charlton Athletic F.C.
- Ben Hamer at Soccerbase
- 1987 births
- Living people
- People from Chard, Somerset
- Footballers from Somerset
- English men's footballers
- Men's association football goalkeepers
- Reading F.C. players
- Crawley Town F.C. players
- Brentford F.C. players
- Exeter City F.C. players
- Charlton Athletic F.C. players
- Leicester City F.C. players
- Nottingham Forest F.C. players
- Bristol City F.C. players
- Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
- Swansea City A.F.C. players
- Derby County F.C. players
- Watford F.C. players
- Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
- National League (English football) players
- English Football League players
- Premier League players
- English expatriates in Germany