Benning signed for League Two club Mansfield Town on 22 May 2015. He suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in October 2015 and was out of action for four months; he tested his recovery from the injury by tackling a brick wall. Manager Adam Murray had initially worried that Benning could be ruled out for the whole of the 2015–16 season, but it transpired that no surgery was necessary to repair the damage as 12 weeks in a brace was sufficient to allow the body to heal itself. He signed a new contract of undisclosed length in May 2016, having scored four goals from 33 games. He missed just one league and one EFL Trophy game during the 2016–17 season, playing a total of 52 times and scoring one goal, as the club posted a 12th-place finish. He told the media that new manager Steve Evans had "made an impact instantly" and "made it clear that he's striving for promotion", but that for Benning "the main focus is to keep my place in the team".
