Men's football news
Written by: DanielL
Like many footballers in a similar position, Kaan Bennett hoped that his time as a Colchester United scholar would lead to a professional playing career in the English Football League.
However, those aspirations were dealt a blow by an injury in early 2024 that resulted in more than a year on the sidelines.
Since completing his recovery, the 21-year-old has looked to non-league as the platform on which to continue playing the sport he loves.
After a brief stint with Maldon & Tiptree, Bennett joined Lewes in the summer of 2025, marking his debut in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
Wearing the no. 15 shirt, Bennett has become recognised at The Dripping Pan for his twisting and turning in central midfield which has bamboozled many an opposition player.
A strong start to the season, which included goals against Welling United and Burgess Hill Town, earned him the August player of the month award as voted for by Lewes FC owners.
We recently caught up with Bennett to find out more about his footballing background, his comeback from injury and what he has learned since joining the Rooks.
“As soon as I could walk, I was playing football,” he says.
“Fast forward to when I was nine or 10 years old, and I was at Arsenal.
“However, I unfortunately had a bad knee injury, so I was stuck at grassroots level for a little bit. I then ended up going to Colchester as a second-year scholar.
“I did three and a half, four years there. And then on to Lewes.
“It has helped that I’ve got a few familiar faces here; that’s the main thing that helped me settle.
“It’s a little way away for me, being based in south London, but I forget about that when we’re playing and winning.”
Bouncing back
Bennett represented Colchester’s under-18 and under-21 teams, notably scoring against his former junior club Arsenal in an FA Youth Cup tie.
He made his League Two debut for the U’s in May 2022, coming on as a substitute in a 2-0 win at Hartlepool United, before going out on loan to Suffolk non-league side Needham Market.
Then, in early 2024, a recurrence of the anterior cruciate ligament injury he picked up as a child came back to bite.
His time with Colchester concluded that year.
“I was a bit young to have something like that,” he says of the original ACL tear.
“It’s one of those ones where you’re a bit better doing it young than in the latter stages of your career.
“It’s typically nine to 12 months for recovery, but the second time it ended up taking me a little longer, just because I wanted to make sure I was fully fit before I went back into it.
“It ended up being seven or eight years later [on from the original incident] that I ended up having the surgery!
“It was eventful, but I had the right support network around me to do it.
“The time kind of flew by, which sounds strange to say.
“Now I’m back and enjoying my football here, which is the main thing.”
Learning the league
Bennett has relatively little experience at step three of non-league football compared to some of his fellow Rooks.
This has led to his discovery of some key differences between the Isthmian League and the academy football he was playing at Colchester, especially in terms of physicality.
“That’s been a real eye-opener for me, personally, because I’ve been used to academy football, which I feel is a lot more systematic and tactical,” Bennett explains.
“It’s more about how you’re going to play for each shape.
“At this level, not everybody is going to want to play through you. You’re going to play against teams that are going to be good at what they do, and it suits them – we’ve already experienced it this season.
“Not everyone is going to try and get the ball down and try to play the same way we do.
“It’s interesting. It’s about preparing yourself for how different teams are going to approach the game, because not everybody is the same.
“But that’s why I like it. I’m learning every day.”
Happy to adapt
Lewes fans will have seen Bennett operating in central attacking midfield, linking up with the strikers and wide players.
That is not his usual stomping ground, although he’s relished the opportunity to adapt to a less familiar position.
“It’s a role I have played, but I’ve always been used to playing out wide or as a second striker,” he says.
“I’ve always had licence to roam, wherever I’ve played. That’s why I think this attacking midfield role suits me.
“Obviously, I will never shy away from getting the ball. I like to make things happen.
“I’m just lucky that Pritch [Bradley Pritchard, former Lewes manager] and Pitts [Craig Nelson, current manager] have given me the chance to flourish, with the freedom to make things happen and do what I feel necessary.”
Looking ahead to the middle part of the season, Bennett believes the current Lewes squad has the potential to succeed in a highly competitive Premier Division.
The Rooks are currently 15th in the table, but only nine points separate them from the playoff spots with plenty of matches to go.
“It’s a great group,” says Bennett. “I genuinely think we can go as far as we want.
“We saw earlier in the season, we were playing good football. It’s just the results didn’t quite fall our way.
“I feel like we’ve got a group that’s capable of reaching the playoffs.
“It might feel too soon to say that, but if we keep playing the way I know we can play, it feels like anything’s possible.”
Quickfire questions
What was your favourite school subject?
PE.
What team did you support growing up?
Arsenal.
What’s the best goal you’ve scored?
Recently, the one I scored against Welling away, because of the matter of the goal: it was the winner on the half-volley. Don’t score many of them!
And the best football goal ever scored?
Gareth Bale’s overhead kick for Real Madrid [in the 2018 Champions League final].
What life skill would you like to learn?
Maybe a second language. Probably Turkish. I often get a few pelters from my family for not being able to speak it!
If you had to drop football for another sport, what would you pick?
Tennis. I was playing in the summer – I really like it. I could say padel, but everyone’s jumping on that bandwagon… so I’ll say tennis.
Name a song you’ve been enjoying recently.
Again by Gunna.