The Silkmen face Harborough Town for the very first time this weekend in Enterprise National League North action as Mitch Austin’s men travel to Cheshire.
As part of our regular feature in our Matchday Programme, we are focussing on a player who has played for both The Silkmen and The Bees.
In this case, there is only one player who has played for both clubs, and that man is forward Ben Stephens.
The now 29-year-old started his footballing journey on the books of Leicester City and was in and around the Club at the time they miraculously won the Premier League in 2016.
He left the Club that summer after a short term spell with local Leicestershire side Oadby Town and swapped Leicestershire for Northamptonshire as he joined Kettering Town.
Stephens spent just one season at Latimer Park as Kettering finished mid-table in the Southern Premier Central; however, they did win silverware in the form of the Northamptonshire Senior Cup, beating Corby Town at Sixfields.
The forward swapped Northamptonshire for the land of Shakespeare as he signed for Stratford Town, who were playing in the same division as the Poppies.
It was an impressive first season for the forward in Stratford colours as he was beginning to attract the attention of a number of clubs in the EFL.
Ben scored 24 goals in 63 appearances at the Arden Garages Stadium, and this then earned him the opportunity to trial at a number of Clubs in League One and League Two.
Birmingham City, Ipswich Town and Coventry City were amongst the sides that took Stephens on trial after his stellar season with the Bards.
After his trials in the summer of 2018, he was spotted by Silkmen manager John Askey, who brought the forward to the Moss Rose following a spell with the V9 Academy.
He earned his first start in the EFL as he came on as a second-half substitute for Tyrone Marsh in a League Two fixture against Tranmere Rovers.
The first of his six Silkmen goals came at the Moss Rose as he got a consolation in a 4-1 defeat against Bury.
Stephens was a part of the Macclesfield side who secured League Two survival on the final day of the season following a draw with Cambridge United.
The forward would go on to make 52 appearances for the Silkmen across his two seasons with the Club, before he was released at the end of the curtailed 2020 season.
After his departure from Moss Rose, Stephens would make returns to two of his former sides, as he once again featured for both Kettering Town and Stratford Town.
He then went on to continue his career playing in the Southern Premier Central, as he went on to play for another Leicestershire-based side in the form of Barwell.
It was a successful spell with the Canaries for Stephens, as he scored 24 goals in 33 appearances in an excellent 2021/22 season for the forward.
Those statistics also saw Stephens become the top scorer for the division and were always going to open up new opportunities for the forward.
He made a step up once again as he was signed by King’s Lynn Town in the National League North.
Stephens played 74 times for the Linnets in all competitions, scoring 14 times as they looked to make an immediate return to the National League after their relegation.
His next challenge came in the form of today’s opponents, Harborough Town, where he spent two seasons with the Bees and with it saw a considerable amount of success.
Stephens joined the club ahead of their debut season at Step Three, and that debut season would be a special one as Harborough went all the way to the Emirates FA Cup Second Round, pushing League One Reading all the way.
Among those moments were the winning penalty against Bury in the Fourth Qualifying Round and a brace as they dismantled Tonbridge Angels in the First Round Proper.
Stephens made 86 appearances in Harborough Town colours and, with it, scored on 37 occasions across his two-year spell in South Leicestershire.
25 of those came in his first season with the Club, 12 in his second, as the Club continued its amazing rise through the divisions and deservedly were crowned Champions of the Southern Premier League Central last season.
Stephens departed Harborough during the summer but has certainly made a positive impact at both the Silkmen during his time with us and our opponents as well.
