Shrewsbury Town defender Malvind Benning is a British South Asian footballer who currently plays in League Two. The left-back has played for Walsall, Evesham, York City, Mansfield Town, Port Vale and Mansfield Town.
The 32-year-old is of Indian heritage, with his family roots coming from the Punjab region of India. The defender has used his platform as a professional footballer to promote underrepresented South Asians in football.
He began his career at Walsall and made a loan move to York City in January 2015. In the summer of the same year, Benning left Walsall permanently and signed for Mansfield Town on a free transfer. Mansfield was his home for six years, where he made 251 appearances across all competitions. To date, the most appearances he made for one club in his career is for the Stags. 2021 saw the six-year stint with the Stags come to an end, before signing for Port Vale.
A significant moment during his spell at Vale Park came in 2022, when he scored the winning goal for his side in the 2022 EFL League Two play-off final. His goal was scored against his former club Mansfield Town, who he left to join Port Vale. The final score of the game was 3-0, with Benning scoring the third in the match.
In his post-match interview, the defender spoke about how significant his goal was to the South Asian community who play football.
Two years in Staffordshire, which included a promotion, then saw the defender move to his current club, Shrewsbury Town, in 2023.
Back in February, the full-back reached 400 league appearances, and in his interview on reaching the milestone, he said to Sky Sports: “I want to see more South Asians in football. When I started 13, 14 years ago, there was maybe the odd one or two that were from a South Asian background. There are more and more young lads coming through [now], which is great to see.”
Benning has only played seven times this season, for a side that finds themselves 22nd in League Two. The defender, while not playing often, will bring a wealth of experience to the team, as he aims to steer them away from the relegation zone. In his seven appearances, the defender has assisted three goals, with each assist coming in a different competition.
The 32-year-old did feature off the bench for the last 20 minutes of Shrewsbury’s most recent match, which was against Bristol Rovers. He has often found himself as an unused substitute during matches, but 2026 could see him feature more regularly.
But the tough fixtures for the side continue in the coming weeks, as they play three teams inside the League Two play-offs in their next four matches. An FA Cup tie against Premier League side Wolves is also on the way, as Shrewsbury look to cause a huge upset against a team who have struggled significantly this campaign.
