| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryley Ben Towler [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 May 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Bristol, England | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lincoln City | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2019 | Bristol City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | Bristol City | 4 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Frome Town (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Taunton Town (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Grimsby Town (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → AFC Wimbledon (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2023–2025 | Portsmouth | 38 | (3) |
| 2025– | Lincoln City | 25 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:10, 14 February 2026 (UTC) | |||
Ryley Ben Towler (born 6 May 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for EFL League One club Lincoln City.
Towler joined his local City academy in the under 9 age group. [2] A left footed player who went to Mangotsfield School, Towler is considered an option at left back or left centre back. [3]
On 10 February 2021, Towler made his debut for Bristol City in the FA Cup fifth round starting away at Bramall Lane against Sheffield United. [4]
On 9 September 2021, Towler joined Grimsby Town on loan until January 2022. [5] Towler made his debut for the 'Mariners' on 11 September 2021, in a 3–1 away win against Torquay United. He went on to play 13 games in the National League for Grimsby Town, and one appearance in the FA Cup in a 1–0 defeat to Kidderminster Harriers. Towler was recalled on 20 December 2021 and returned to Bristol City. [6]
On 1 September 2022, Towler joined AFC Wimbledon on loan for the 2022–23 season. [7] He scored his first goal for Wimbledon in a 3–1 loss to Walsall on 8 October 2022. [8] Towler was recalled from his loan on 6 January 2023. [9]
On 6 January 2023, Towler signed for League One club Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half-year deal. [10] He made his Pompey debut as a substitute against Bolton Wanderers in January 2023, and made his full debut a week later in a 2–0 home win over Exeter City. Towler scored two second-half goals in a 3–1 win over Bolton on 28 February 2023. [11] However, with the promotion of Portsmouth to the Championship, the club looked to loan him out in the 2024–25 winter transfer window. [12]
On 7 July 2025, Towler signed for EFL League One club, Lincoln City for an undisclosed fee, signing a deal until 2029. [13] He made his debut, starting in the opening day 2–0 win against Reading at left-back. [14]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bristol City | 2019–20 [15] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 [16] | Championship | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 [17] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 [18] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Frome Town (loan) | 2018-19 [19] | SL Division One South | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Taunton Town (loan) | 2019–20 [20] | SL Premier Division South | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Grimsby Town (loan) | 2021–22 [17] | National League | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 [a] | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| AFC Wimbledon (loan) | 2022–23 [18] | League Two | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 [b] | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| Portsmouth | 2022–23 [18] | League One | 20 | 2 | — | — | — | 20 | 2 | |||
| 2023–24 [21] | League One | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 4 [b] | 1 | 11 | 1 | ||
| 2024–25 [22] | Championship | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 4 | ||
| Lincoln City | 2025–26 [23] | League One | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 [b] | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Career total | 104 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 129 | 5 | ||
Portsmouth