Crawley Town have confirmed the arrival of defender Ben Heneghan on a deal lasting until the beginning of January. The centre-back, who is 33, has been training with the team recently and could play in their upcoming FA Cup first-round game against Wimborne Town.

Heneghan adds considerable league experience to a Crawley team positioned near the bottom of League Two, sitting 24th on just 9 points after 12 games, with two wins, three draws and seven defeats. Their recent performances include a mix of results from their last few matches, with a recent form of one win, two draws and two losses from the last five. The team has let in 21 goals while scoring 13, leaving them with a goal difference of minus eight.

Defensive reinforcement

The tall defender arrives from Port Vale, having helped them gain promotion last season. He has featured in hundreds of matches in the English Football League and throughout his professional career, which started in the academy setups of Everton and Stoke City before he debuted for Chester.

He has also played for Motherwell, Sheffield United, AFC Wimbledon, where he was skipper, Fleetwood Town and Blackpool. Heneghan has been capped for England C and earned a Player of the Year honour at Chester.

Crawley's staff were pleased with Heneghan's trial, believing his know-how and leadership will benefit the group. The team has let in a number of goals in the league so far this campaign, an area they aim to strengthen. The signing comes after a 1-0 defeat to Oldham on 31 October, where Danilo Orsi scored the winner, and a 1-1 draw with Tranmere on 24 October, where Dylan Morgan was on target.

Looking ahead

Heneghan's first task is the FA Cup match this weekend. After that, Crawley have a league game scheduled for mid-November, an away fixture against Rotherham on Saturday 14 November. Supporters can view the team's upcoming matches on the official website.

The defender's signing gives head coach Scott Lindsey more depth in defence as they try to move up the table from their current position, which sees them 22 points behind leaders Salford City. Heneghan's short-term agreement covers the club through the busy holiday schedule.

The original report is at SussexWorld