Mark James Bentley (born 7 January 1978) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who is now a first-team coach at

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

Playing career

Born in

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

, Bentley started his playing career with

Aveley Aveley is a town and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England, and forms one of the traditional Church of England parishes. Aveley is 16 miles (26.2 km) east of Charing Cross. In the 2021 United Kingdom ...

before moving on to

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

in August 1998. He later moved to

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spring ...

, Gravesend & Northfleet (where he won Player of the Year in 2002–03) and Dagenham & Redbridge. On 15 January 2004, he stepped up into

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

when he signed for

, where he made 93 league appearances including 23 as a sub. He also scored 12 league goals including five in his last season at

Roots Hall A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

and was involved in two consecutive promotions. He was offered a new one-year contract to stay at Southend, but opted to go for the security of a two-year deal at Gillingham, signing for them on 22 May 2006. He made his debut in the 2–1 home win over

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...

on 5 August and scored his first goal away to

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

in a 4–2 defeat on 12 August. Bentley was runner up in the club's 2006–07 player of the year award behind Andrew Crofts and signed a two-year contract extension in September 2007. After coming second in the Player of the Year awards for the 2009–10 season, he signed a new one-year contract for new manager

Andy Hessenthaler Andrew Hessenthaler (born 17 August 1965) is an English football manager and former player who is head of recruitment at club Gillingham. He began his career in non-league football and did not turn professional until he joined Watford at ...

with a clause stating that if he played a certain number of games it would be extended for another season, taking him to the end of the 2011–12 season. In March 2011, Bentley signed for

Conference National The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...

club

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...

on a one-month

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

from Gillingham. On 11 May 2011, Bentley was released by Gillingham after serving five seasons with the club, after the club failed to gain promotion from League Two. He subsequently joined Hayes & Yeading United. Following Jamie Hand's departure to

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

in early September, Bentley was appointed club captain. In June 2013, Bentley signed for

Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...

club

Boreham Wood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 31,074, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly known ...

. Bentley signed for

Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates ...

in October 2013, to help with the club's push for promotion to the Conference South. Bentley left the club by mutual consent, having made ten league appearances, in the summer of 2014.

Coaching career

Bentley was appointed as player/assistant-manager alongside his role as a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Grays Athletic Grays Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Grays, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Parkside in nearby Aveley. History The club was established as Grays Juniors in 1890, before merging with former S ...

following the departure of manager Jody Brown and a number of coaches. He was then promoted to player/caretaker-manager in January 2015, before being given the job until the end of the 2014–15 season. Bentley received widespread attention in March 2015 when he put himself on as a substitute in a game: he both scored and saved a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

, helping turn a 2–0 deficit into a 3–2 win. On 1 October 2018, Bentley was appointed as the new head coach of

Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office ...

. On 20 October 2021, Bentley was appointed as a first-team coach at former club

with his former teammate

Kevin Maher Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder. He is head coach of National League side Southend United. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland internationall ...

being appointed as head coach. At the time of leaving Canvey Island, his side were top of the Isthmian Premier Division North.

References

External links

Mark Bentley player profile
at gillinghamfootballclub.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Mark 1978 births Living people People from Hertford English footballers English football managers Association football midfielders Association football player-managers Aveley F.C. players Enfield F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Ebbsfleet United F.C. players Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players Southend United F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Hayes & Yeading United F.C. players Boreham Wood F.C. players Wealdstone F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Isthmian League players Grays Athletic F.C. players Grays Athletic F.C. managers Canvey Island F.C. managers Southend United F.C. non-playing staff Isthmian League managers Association football coaches