Alf Bentley (footballer, born 1887)

Alf Bentley

Personal information
Date of birth	15 September 1887
Place of birth	Alfreton, England
Date of death	15 April 1940(1940-04-15) (aged 52)
Place of death	Alfreton, England
Position(s)	Centre-forward
Youth career
1905–1906	Alfreton
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1906–1911	Derby County	151	(98)
1911–1913	Bolton Wanderers	51	(15)
1913–1922	West Bromwich Albion	97	(46)
1922–1924	Burton Albion
1924–1926	Alfreton Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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]

References

1. "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
2. Collett, Mike (2003). The Complete Record of the FA Cup. Sports Books. p. 269. ISBN 1-899807-19-5.
3. "Sky Bet Championship: Post-match stat pack".
4. Matthews, Tony (2005). The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion. Breedon Books. p. 30. ISBN 1-85983-474-4.