Alf Bentley (footballer, born 1887) explained

Alf Bentley
Birth Date:15 September 1887
Birth Place:Alfreton, England
Death Place:Alfreton, England
Position:Centre-forward
Youthyears1:1905–1906
Youthclubs1:Alfreton
Years1:1906–1911
Years2:1911–1913
Years3:1913–1922
Years4:1922–1924
Years5:1924–1926
Clubs1:Derby County
Clubs2:Bolton Wanderers
Clubs3:West Bromwich Albion
Clubs4:Burton Albion
Clubs5:Alfreton Town
Caps1:151
Goals1:98
Caps2:51
Goals2:15
Caps3:97
Goals3:46

Alfred Bentley (15 September 1887 – 15 April 1940) was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward.

Biography

Bentley was born in Alfreton, Derbyshire. He turned professional with Derby County in December 1906, joining for a £50 fee. During the 1908–09 season he was the top scorer of the Second Division with 24 goals,[1] with a further 8 goals in FA Cup matches.[2]

In May 1911 he signed for Bolton Wanderers for £1000, before moving to West Bromwich Albion for £500 in June 1913. He scored all four goals on his league debut in a 4-1 win against Burnley in the first fixture of the season in September. 111 years passed before Josh Maja scored Albion's next opening day hattrick in August 2024 against Queen's Park Rangers.[3]

Bentley joined Burton Albion in May 1922 and then his hometown club Alfreton Town in August 1924, before retiring from football in May 1926. He later worked in the steel industry and died in Alfreton in 1940.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: English League Leading Goalscorers . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 31 October 2010 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110628202228/http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/engtops.html . 28 June 2011.
  2. Book: Collett, Mike . The Complete Record of the FA Cup. 2003. Sports Books . 1-899807-19-5 . 269.
  3. Web site: Sky Bet Championship: Post-match stat pack .
  4. Book: Matthews, Tony . The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion . Breedon Books . 2005 . 30 . 1-85983-474-4.