Ben House’s journey through the ranks of football saw him take the bold step to non-league in order to get playing time, earning him a move to Lincoln City in League One, where he hopes to take his game to the next level.
The striker, 22, started as an academy graduate at Championship side Reading, going on loan to Swindon Town and Dagenham and Redbridge before joining Eastleigh in the National League on a permanent deal in 2020.
He found the net 15 times for Eastleigh and attracted plenty of attention from clubs across the EFL, but it was Lincoln City in League One who managed to get the deal done in January 2022.
Ben impressed in the National League and is now hoping to do the same in League One. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Imps manager Michael Appleton said House had “excellent attributes” and that he could be a real future star for the club. He has made three substitute appearances for Lincoln so far, and will be hoping to kick on in the coming months and years.
The Lincolnite reporter Ellis Karran went to catch up with the 22-year-old striker at Lincoln City’s training ground last week, and it wasn’t your typical football interview.
Ben talked to us about Rocket League, his Nando’s order and rapping Big Sean songs for his teammates. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The thing I always found with interviews within the realms of football, was that the same questions were being asked and the same answers were being given, so I wanted to try something a bit different.
We asked Ben a series of quick fire questions, varying from what he watches on Netflix, who would be the most fun on a night out in the Lincoln squad, and whether he’d prefer to have feet for hands or hands for feet.
E: So Ben, thank you for agreeing to this with us, how have you dealt with the move from non-league to League One so far?
BH: It’s a big move for me personally and for my career. It’s been tough at times because when you come to a new club you want to play right away but that obviously hasn’t been the case. It’s so quick, you feel like you’re almost unfit because of the pace of the game. Luckily the lads have been brilliant and I’ve settled in really well.
E: How have you found the city itself?
BH: I haven’t been out much to be fair, I walked around the cathedral and the castle, that was really nice – I was surprised by how big the cathedral was!
E: What is your favourite film?
BH: Guardians of the Galaxy is decent, any of the Marvel films are good too, The Longest Ride, I like that as well, don’t mind a bit of romance.
E: Coronation Street or EastEnders?
BH: Oh neither! Can’t stand any of the soap operas.
The 22-year-old has been capped twice by Scotland under-21s. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
E: Last series you binged on Netflix?
BH: Pieces of Her. Smashed that out, ended on a cliffhanger but I loved it.
E: Best series on Netflix?
BH: Probably Designated Survivor. I enjoyed that the most, even though it drags a bit and things get a bit silly, I just wanted to keep on watching it.
E: With your rise from non-league, obviously there’s going to be a film about you at some stage. Who would you like to play Ben House in the movie of your life?
BH: I have no idea! *Laughs* that is a tough question, Tom Holland maybe? I’d take that.
E: Messi or Ronaldo?
BH: Messi. If you say Ronaldo then I don’t believe that you know football. Messi is so naturally gifted, Ronaldo has built himself up to become who he is, which is impressive, but because Messi is so natural he has to be the best.
Deep in thought as he answers our quirky questions. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
E: The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin?
BH: Who’s that?
E: Are you not a WWE guy?
BH: No haha! I’ll go with The Rock.
E: What was the last song you listened to?
BH: She Knows by J. Cole.
E: Is that the kind of music played in the changing room?
BH: To be fair, no, there’s a good mix, on a match day especially. I think the kitman has been playing the music recently, I could never do that – too much pressure.
Ben’s goals at Lincoln are simple, he just wants to play football and help the team achieve success. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
E: What was your first car?
BH: Vauxhall Corsa.
E: Tea or coffee?
BH: Green tea, that is tough though because I love coffee, but I have so many green teas a day.
E: What would your last meal be?
BH: What, if I was to die?
E: Well, I didn’t want to turn it bleak…
BH: Haha! Well I’m a veggie now, I’m enjoying it, I don’t miss meat at all which is surprising because I used to be the biggest meat eater. I’d go for the imitator wrap from Nando’s, enjoy that. With the butternut squash and quinoa salad.
All good fun as Ben tells us his favourite joke. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
E: If you could have a superpower what would it be?
BH: Probably to read people’s minds, people are so unpredictable you don’t know what they’re thinking!
E: Would you rather have feet for hands or hands for feet?
BH: Right let me process that one for a minute, I am baffled! *Proceeds to stare at his hands and feet, picturing what it would be like* Oh, hands for feet 100%, better control of the ball. I just can’t imagine running around with feet on your arms.
E: When you arrived at Lincoln, did you have to do an initiation song?
BH: I did, so, nobody is going to know it, but it’s One Man Can Change The World by Big Sean.
E: I know that song.
BH: Do you actually?! Are you joking with me? Because nobody in the changing room knew it and I was like ‘come on, surely!’ I knew most of the words so decided to do that, I rapped for a bit before the boys started laughing at me.
E: Not even a standing ovation?
BH: Nah they were just laughing! I was just up there rapping and you know when you know a song and you just can’t help but sing it? I do it on microphone (on PlayStation) all the time with my boys and they’re like ‘Ben shut up’.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
E: Is hip-hop your favourite genre then?
BH: Yeah people like J. Cole and Drake are the best at it because they can flow well, you actually understand the words they’re saying unlike this proper rap stuff where you don’t have a Scooby!
E: If you were to have a night out with three Lincoln teammates, who would they be?
BH: I don’t drink so I’d have to go with people that are fun. Chris Maguire, hilarious. You know what, I might even take Lasse (Sorensen), he’d be class too, and I’d take Jordan Wright, we’d have a good laugh.
E: Who has the best, and worst if you like, fashion sense at the club?
I like Morg’s (Whittaker) fashion, just like loose fit clothes, that’s my kind of vibe, whatever you’re comfy in! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone dress badly yet.
E: Have you been recognised in the area yet?
BH: I get loads of stares but I don’t know if they’re looking at me because I’m weird or if they know me, but no, I haven’t been approached yet. It happens so much that surely they have an idea, but I don’t think I’m known enough for that yet.
E: Tell me your favourite joke.
BH: Okay, this is terrible but I’m just going to tell you it anyway: What did the hat say to the other hat? You wait here and I’ll go on ahead.
E: If you were to give any advice to a young footballer, what would it be?
BH: Whenever anyone asks me that now I just get flashbacks to when I was at Aldershot and I said in this interview ‘just keep going’ about five times, my family ripped me for ages about it. But literally, just keep working hard and get your head down, do extras, you can always improve yourself.
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A woman living in her car, a man with £30,000 debts and a mum-of-three struggling to get by are among the thousands of people who have turned to Citizens Advice Lincolnshire.
A surge in calls as energy bills soar has left the service unable to help everyone.
Around 14,500 Lincolnshire people in the 2021/22 financial year received help overall with 70,000 different issues – a significant rise from the previous year.
The service is answering more questions than ever before, and it says it doesn’t have the resources to meet the growing demand.
The scale of the crisis has been laid out in a report to go before Lincolnshire County Council next week.
Among the success stories are a woman who had contemplated suicide because she was living in her car with no one to turn to. Citizens Advice Lincolnshire helped her to get a new home.
A man suffering from anxiety due to his £30,000 debt was given help in applying for a debt relief order.
A struggling mum who was behind on her energy bills was supported in applying for £300 of energy vouchers, which she said would help her to cope.
There has been a big increase is people asking the service for help with debt, Universal Credit and tax credits, according to the report.
Energy bills are going through the roof for many households and organisations. | Photo: Adobe Stock
As bills rose in the last quarter of the financial year, more people also enquired about food and fuel vouchers.
Nearly 2,400 people were given help with Universal Credit in the last quarter of the 2021/22 financial year alone.
The advice service says:“Demand has significantly increased in quarter four. This is mainly due to cost-of-living enquiries and dealing with the Household Support Fund. We have answered more calls than ever before, but [are] still unable to meet the increased demand due to a lack of resource.
“Although we did receive some modest funding provided via LCC Household Support Fund to answer calls, demand was so high that we were unable to meet it.
“Waiting times currently for generalist and debt appointments can be up to three weeks, due to increased demand and limited resources.”
The service has also warned the price of the cheapest food is jumping rapidly.
The report will be discussed by the council’s Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, May 31.
The PRSA Mass Vaccination Centre in Boston will be running a series of walk-in sessions for children aged five to 15 to get their COVID-19 jabs during half-term next week.
This will be in addition to the now regular pop-up vaccination sessions around the county, a number of which will continue to offer vaccinations to children in these age groups without the need for an appointment.
For those who prefer to book an appointment, rather than attend a pop-up or walk-in session, this can be done by visiting the National Booking System or by calling 119.
The team at PRSA will be offering the following walk-in vacations for five to 11-year-olds and 12 to 15-year-olds:
Five to 11-year-olds
Tuesday, May 31 (4pm-6pm)
Friday, June 3 (10am-1.30pm)
Sunday, June 5 (10am-1.30pm)
12 to 15-year-olds
Monday, May 30 (4.30pm-7.30pm)
Tuesday, May 31 (4.30pm-7.30pm)
Wednesday, June 1 (4.30pm-7.30pm)
Thursday, June 2 (10am-1.30pm)
Saturday, June 4 (10am-1.30pm)
Rebecca Neno, director of COVID and influenza vaccination programmes for NHS Lincolnshire CCG, said: “We try and time our pop-up sessions where possible to allow for school-aged children to attend and, of course, half-term week gives us more flexibility to be able to do this.
“The pop-up sessions allow us to take the vaccination out to people and our new vaccination bus will help hugely with this, but the key benefit the pop-ups bring – including those for school-aged children – is that no appointment is necessary.
“Whether you’re coming along to get vaccinated yourself or you are bringing your child for their vaccination, you can just turn up without pre-booking. All that we ask if you are bringing your child to be vaccinated is that, as their parent/guardian, you are present to consent.”
Other pop-up walk-in sessions in Lincolnshire
Saturday, May 28 at Franklin Hall, Halton Road in Spilsby – between 4pm and 6pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over, and also for 5-11 year-olds and 12-15 year-olds.
Saturday, May 28 at Nettleham Village Hall, Brookfield Avenue in Nettleham – between 10am and 1pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over, and between 1.30pm and 4pm for 12-15 year-olds.
Sunday, May 29 at Springfields Events and Conference Centre, Camel Gate in Spalding – between 10am and 4pm for 5-11 year-olds only.
Sunday, May 29 at Ruston Sports and Social Club, Newark Road in Lincoln – between 10.30am and 4pm for 5-11 year-olds only.
Sunday, May 29 at Sainsbury’s, Tritton Road in Lincoln (vaccination bus) – between 10.30am and 3.30pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 18 and over.
Monday, May 30 at The Venue in Navenby – between 10.30am and 1pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over, and between 1.30pm and 4.30pm for 5-11 year-olds and 12-15 year-olds.
Monday, May 30 at Gainsborough Adventure Playground, Riseholme Road, Gainsborough – between 11am and 4pm for 5-11 year-olds only.
Tuesday, May 31 at Stickney Youth Centre, Stickney, Boston – between 9am and 5pm for 5-11 year-olds and anyone eligible aged 12 and over.
Tuesday, May 31 at Nettleham Village Hall, Brookfield Avenue in Nettleham – between 10.30am and 1pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over, and between 1.30pm and 4.30pm for 5-11 year-olds and 12-15 year-olds.
Tuesday, May 31 at St Marks Square (Vaccination Bus) – between 10am and 3.30pm for 5-11 year-olds only.
Wednesday, June 1 at Stanhope Hall, Boston Road in Horncastle – between 9am and 1pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 18 and over, and between 1pm and 6pm for 5-11 year-olds and anyone eligible aged 16 and over.
Wednesday, June 1 at St Faiths Parish Hall, West Parade, Lincoln – between 10.30am and 1pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over, and between 1.30pm and 4.30pm for 5-11 year-olds and 12-15 year-olds.
Wednesday, June 1 at Whisby Nature Park, Moor Lane, Thorpe on the Hill (Vaccination Bus) – between 10.30am and 3.30pm for 5-11 year-olds only.
Thursday, June 2 at Ruston Sports and Social Club, Newark Road in Lincoln – between 10.30am and 1pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over, and between 1.30pm and 4.30pm for 5-11 year-olds and 12-15 year-olds.
Thursday, June 2 at Tesco, Water Mill Road in Horncastle (Vaccination Bus) – between 10.30am and 3.30pm for 5-11 year-olds only.
Friday, June 3 at X Church, St Johns, St Johns Terrace, Church Street, Gainsborough – between 10.30am and 4pm for 5-11 year olds only.
Saturday, June 4 at The Ruby Hunt Centre, Church Street, Donington, Spalding – between 9am and 5pm for 5-11 year-olds and anyone eligible aged 12 and over.
Saturday, June 4 at The Venue, Navenby – between 10.30am and 4.30pm for 5-11 year-olds only.
Sunday, June 5 at Springfields Events and Conference Centre, Camel Gate in Spalding – between 10am and 4pm for 5-11 year-olds only.
Sunday, June 5 at The Engine Shed, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln – between 10.30am and 1pm for spring boosters for people aged 75 and over, plus vaccinations for anyone eligible aged 16 and over, and between 1.30pm and 4.30pm for 5-11 year-olds and 12-15 year-olds.
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