“Incredible achievement” - Gavin Cowan praises Mal Benning after landmark appearance
Gavin Cowan expressed his pride in “gentleman” and “professional” Mal Benning after the defender made his 500th career appearance in professional football.
The full-back was introduced as a second-half substitute during Salop’s emphatic win over League Two high-flyers Swindon Town at the Meadow.
Benning had been frozen out under the previous management, appearing just once in the league since early September, but he has featured in all four matches since Cowan took charge.
Asked about the landmark, Cowan said: “Incredible. It reflects the gentleman that he is, the professional that he is, and the player that he is.
“He was a little bit out in the cold for whatever reason. I'd seen quite a lot of Shrewsbury Town games, and have always been a bit of a fan of his.
“We made a little bit of a pact on day one, and he's bought into that. What a guy, 500 appearances is an incredible achievement.
“He totally deserves it, and I know he wants to push on now towards the back end of the season as well. He's not done there.
“He’s very, very grateful for this moment today, and we're all really proud of him.”
Benning joined Salop in August 2023, playing 46 times in his first season in Shropshire, scoring once and providing two assists.
Writing in his programme notes, Cowan congratulated Benning on reaching the landmark and said the defender is especially proud of the achievement as a South Asian footballer.
He said: “I know that Mal is particularly proud to be one of the first Sikh South Asian players to reach this landmark.
“South Asian players are incredibly underrepresented in the game, and Mal is doing wonderful work to inspire more Sikh and Asian youngsters into professional professional football.
“Five hundred professional appearances is amazing - but I’ve told Mal that 515 is even better!
“He’s also been fantastic since I came in, and I want to see him continue to play a key role until the end of the season.”
Benning was a guest of honour at the Premier League’s South Asian Action Plan Emerging Talent Festival last summer, an initiative designed to address the under-representation of South Asian players across English football.
He signed for Salop from Port Vale, where he featured 39 times during the 2022/23 League One campaign following promotion.
Prior to joining the Valiants, he spent six years with Mansfield Town, making 240 appearances in all competitions and earning an EFL Team of the Season nomination for his role in the Stags’ 2019 play-off campaign.
Benning has also played for Walsall and York City.
