Career
Stockport County
Ball signed for Stockport County on 6 September 2016, a month after scoring against them for Stalybridge. [12] He had previously played under manager Jim Gannon at Northwich Victoria. [13] He debuted the following day in a 2–1 away defeat to Darlington, scoring Stockport's goal. [14] In March 2017, he signed a new two-year contract, [13] with Gannon stating that Ball had the attributes to reach the Football League. [13] He made 37 appearances and scored seven goals during the season, [12] as Stockport missed out on the National League North play-offs by one point. [15]
Contracted to Stockport for the 2017–18 season, Ball continued to play regularly in the centre of midfield throughout the season. [12] He scored seven times in the club's final eleven fixtures, [12] including a brace in a 4–0 win against Leamington [16] and a 94th-minute winner in a 3–2 victory over Bradford Park Avenue a week later, helping Stockport secure a fifth-place finish and qualification for the National League North play-offs. [17] [18] Ball made 48 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals, as Stockport were defeated in the qualifying round of the play-offs. [12]
Stevenage
Ball signed for League Two club Stevenage on 9 May 2018 for an undisclosed five-figure fee. [19] Stevenage manager Dino Maamria recommended Ball to chairman Phil Wallace in December 2017, describing him as one of the most highly regarded players in non-League football. [20] He made his debut in the opening match of the 2018–19 season, scoring the first goal in a 2–2 draw with Tranmere Rovers at Broadhall Way. [21] He was initially a regular starter in midfield but appeared predominantly as a substitute from October 2018. [22] Ball was brought on as an 11th-minute substitute against Crawley Town on 12 January 2019, deployed as a striker, and scored both goals in a 2–1 victory. [23] [24] Maamria praised his work-rate and adaptability in the unfamiliar role. [24] Ball started the next two matches, [22] but was subsequently used mainly as a substitute and did not play for the final three months of the season. [22] He finished the season with 21 appearances and four goals. [22] Ball was transfer-listed on 9 May 2019. [25]
Solihull Moors
Ball signed for Solihull Moors for an undisclosed fee on 4 October 2019, [28] [29] on a contract running until June 2021. [28] He made his debut the following day as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 defeat to Boreham Wood. [27] Ball scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 home victory against Dagenham & Redbridge on 2 November 2019, [27] and added four goals in Solihull's 5–1 FA Cup victory at Oxford City a week later. [27] He made 28 appearances and scored eight goals during the remainder of the season, which was curtailed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [12] [27] [30] Ball finished the 2020–21 season as joint-top goalscorer for Solihull with 11 goals [31] from 34 appearances in all competitions. [12] [32]
Rochdale
Ball scored three goals in 16 appearances for Solihull during the first half of the 2021–22 season, [33] before signing for League Two club Rochdale on 31 January 2022 for an undisclosed fee on a two-and-a-half-year contract. [34] He scored on his debut in a 2–1 defeat to Forest Green Rovers on 8 February 2022, [33] and went on to record three goals in 11 appearances before a groin injury sustained against Mansfield Town in March curtailed his season. [33] [35] In the 2022–23 season, he scored four goals in 36 appearances as Rochdale were relegated to the National League. [36] [37]
AFC Wimbledon
While under contract at Rochdale, Ball joined AFC Wimbledon on a free transfer on 24 July 2023. [38] He debuted in a 1–1 EFL Cup draw with Coventry City on 9 August 2023 and scored his only goal of the 2023–24 season later that month in a 1–1 draw with Forest Green Rovers, making 36 appearances. [39] [40] He remained with Wimbledon for the 2024–25 season after discussions with manager Johnnie Jackson, [3] and he was utilised regularly as a central defender before sustaining a knee ligament injury in an FA Cup tie against Dagenham & Redbridge on 30 November 2024. [3] He returned briefly as a substitute in March 2025 but did not feature thereafter, as Wimbledon secured promotion to League One via the play-offs. [41] [42] He was released by Wimbledon at the end of the season. [43]
Swindon Town
Ball signed for League Two club Swindon Town on a two-year contract on 4 June 2025. [44]
Style of play
Ball was initially deployed as a striker during his time in the academies at Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers. [3] At Bolton and whilst on loan at Hyde United, [4] [6] he was occasionally used as a centre-back due to injuries in the squad, before moving into central midfield, a role he described as a natural progression towards becoming a box-to-box midfielder. [3] [34] Upon signing for Stevenage, manager Dino Maamria characterised Ball as "big, strong, box-to-box, can cover a lot of ground and can score goals from midfield". [20]
Ball has described himself as a goalscoring midfielder who likes to get into the penalty area, but has also stated he is comfortable as a centre-back, where he feels there is more time on the ball, [3] [34] and has been deployed in that position at Solihull and Wimbledon. [3]
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