Peter Bennett (born 24 June 1946) is an English former

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 played as an

inside-forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

in 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 ...

for West Ham United and

Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the c ...

. He also had a stint in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

with St. Louis Stars. Bennett attended Abbotsfield School and started his football career as an apprentice with West Ham United in 1961. He joined the club along with

John Sissons John "Jack" Howard Sissons (July 14, 1892 – November 11, 1969) was a Canadian barrister, author, judge and federal politician. Early life Sissons was born in Orillia, Ontario and, at the age of four, contracted polio, which injured his leg ...

after the pair were spotted by scout Charlie Faulkner while playing for Middlesex Schoolboys. He played in the side that won the

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

in 1963, wearing the number 8 shirt in a team that featured the likes of

Harry Redknapp Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City. In his ...

and

John Charles William John Charles (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004) was a Welsh footballer who played as a centre-forward or as a centre-back. Best known for his first stint at Leeds United and Juventus, he was rated by many as the greatest all-round ...

. The final against Liverpool saw the team fight back from a first-leg defeat of 3–1 to win 6–5 on aggregate. He signed professional forms later that year and made his First Division debut on 4 April 1964, a home game against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

. Bennett went on to make 47 league and cup appearances, scoring three goals, for the Upton Park club. He moved to Division Two club

in 1970 in a deal that saw Tommy Taylor move in the opposite direction. Orient received £63,000. Bennett was soon made club captain and was part of the team that narrowly missed out on promotion in 1973–74. In May 1977, Bennett and teammate

John Jackson John or Johnny Jackson may refer to: Entertainment Art * John Baptist Jackson (1701–1780), British artist * John Jackson (painter) (1778–1831), British painter * John Jackson (engraver) (1801–1848), English wood engraver * John Richardson ...

joined up with NASL club St. Louis Stars. A deal with Orient had been reached in March, but with Orient still attempting to navigate their way through the season, Bennet's release was delayed. Back at Orient, Bennett was part of the team that reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1978. His career was ended by an ankle injury and he retired after the 1978–79 season, having made in excess of 200 appearances in all competitions for the O's during his seven years at the club. After which, he joined the Orient coaching staff. His son, Warren Bennett, plays on the international golf circuit.

References

1946 births Living people Footballers from Hillingdon English footballers Association football inside forwards West Ham United F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players St. Louis Stars (soccer) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players English Football League players English expatriate footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States Leyton Orient F.C. non-playing staff English expatriate sportspeople in the United States {{England-footy-forward-1940s-stub