Roy Bentley
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roy Thomas Frank Bentley | ||
| Date of birth | 17 May 1924 | ||
| Place of birth | Bristol, England | ||
| Playing position | Striker/Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1939–1946 | Bristol City | ? | (?) |
| 1946–1948 | Newcastle United | 48 | (22) |
| 1948–1956 | Chelsea | 324 | (128) |
| 1956–1960 | Fulham | 142 | (23) |
| 1960–1962 | Queens Park Rangers | 45 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1949–1955 | England | 12 | (9) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1963–1968 | Reading | ||
| 1969–1972 | Swansea City | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Roy Thomas Frank Bentley (born 17 May 1924) is a retired English football player who played 367 games for Chelsea and captained the club to their first League Championship in the 1954-55 season. He also won 12 caps for the England national side. He later became a manager. Bentley was, for a time, one of England's top centre forwards.
Bentley served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and afterwards played for both Bristol City and Bristol Rovers before signing for Newcastle United in 1946. He was with the club for less than two years, but formed a key part of a forward line which also included Jackie Milburn, Len Shackleton and Charlie Wayman. He reached an FA Cup semi-final with the club in the 1946–47 season, but they were defeated 4–0 by eventual winners Charlton Athletic.
In January 1948 Bentley signed for London side Chelsea for £12,500, partially because he had been advised by his doctor that a move south would be a remedy for the lung problems from which he occasionally suffered. He arrived at Chelsea as a replacement for Tommy Lawton, who had also moved to Chelsea in search of a cure for lung trouble, and was initially compared unfavourably with his predecessor. His Chelsea career took off slowly as he struggled to adapt to an unfamiliar style of play. They lost 2–4 at home to Huddersfield Town on his debut and he scored just three goals in his first four months with the club.
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