Ben Tozer has grown into a talismanic figure for Wrexham since joining the squad in 2021 and his vast experience playing in the Football League could make him a key asset following promotion to League Two.
The 33-year-old defender has not only been a towering figure at the back but his missile-like long throw has also contributed to Wrexham’s scoring efforts and as someone who knows League Two like the back of his hand, Tozer’s knowledge of the division could prove crucial.
Ben Tozer’s early career
Born in Plymouth on March 1, 1990, Ben Tozer began his football career in the youth setup of Plymouth Argyle before he was persuaded to join Swindon Town by former Argyle youth coach David Byrne.
Tozer would go on to make seven first-team appearances as a 17-year-old at Swindon before Newcastle United swooped for the youngster just months later, where he would become part of their academy, eventually making two first-team appearances following the Magpies’ relegation to the Championship in 2009.
A loan move to League Two Northampton Town in 2010 would prove to be the real starting point of Ben Tozer’s career as it offered him regular first-team football and after a successful debut season, Tozer joined the Cobblers permanently the following campaign.
Across five seasons with Northampton, Tozer featured in a whopping 199 games, scoring on seven occasions.
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Tozer was eventually released by Northampton in 2015 which prompted a move to then-League Two side Yeovil Town. Injury hampered his first few months at Huish Park but he became a regular starter towards the halfway point of the season.
The 6ft3 defender was offered a new contract by Yeovil after his first season, but Tozer rejected the deal in favour of a move to Welsh side Newport County – who Wrexham will be facing in a hotly anticipated Welsh derby this season.
Making a mark with Cheltenham Town
After two seasons at Newport, Ben Tozer was on the move again as he joined Cheltenham Town in 2018, a transfer that would arguably see the defender hit the peak of his powers.
In Tozer’s second season at Cheltenham, the Robins narrowly missed out on promotion to League One after falling at the playoff semi-final stage, losing against Tozer’s former club, Northampton.
Not to be deterred by the setback, however, Tozer’s Cheltenham mounted another promotion challenge in 2020/21 which eventually saw them win the League Two title, beating Paul Mullin’s Cambridge by just two points in the process.
After spending the vast majority of his career in League Two, Ben Tozer finally returned to League One but he would only feature in two matches following Cheltenham’s promotion as Wrexham came calling for the long-throw maestro.
Ben Tozer now a Wrexham stalwart
Like Paul Mullin, Ben Tozer dropped down two divisions to sign for Wrexham in 2021.
The towering defender joined Phil Parkinson’s side for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year deal that will keep him at the club until 2024.
Not long after joining, Ben Tozer was named Wrexham’s club captain, meaning he would share captaincy duties with first-team captain, Luke Young.
Tozer has become a talismanic figure at Wrexham and has featured a whopping 89 times in his first two seasons at the club.
The defender has scored five goals in that time and has led to the creation of several more with his deadly long throw-in causing chaos for opposition defenders.
In Ben Tozer’s 16 seasons as a professional football player prior to the 2023/24 campaign, he has spent 11 of those playing in League Two, meaning the experienced defender will be no stranger to the division and his knowledge of fourth-tier could well prove vital if the Wrexham are to push for another promotion, especially as many are already touting them to challenge at the top of the league once again.
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