Mark James Bentley is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 footballer, who currently plays for Hayes & Yeading United

Hayes & Yeading United F.C.

Hayes & Yeading United F.C. are an English football club based in Woking in Surrey. They were formed in May 2007 following a merger of Hayes and Yeading. They play at the Kingfield Stadium agreeing a groundshare with Woking-History:...

. Bentley is a midfielder

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

.

Career

Bentley started his playing career with Enfield

Enfield F.C.

Enfield F.C. is a football club, formed in June 2007 after Enfield F.C. ceased to exist....

 in August 1998, later moving to Aldershot Town

Aldershot Town F.C.

Aldershot Town Football Club is an association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division club Aldershot Football Club...

, Gravesend & Northfleet

Gravesend & Northfleet F.C.

Ebbsfleet United Football Club is an English professional football team currently playing in the Conference National. The team plays their home matches at Stonebridge Road in Northfleet, Kent. However, the club is now looking to build a new stadium in the Ebbsfleet Valley vicinity in...

 (where he won Player of the Year in 2002-03) and Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.

Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club , informally known as Daggers, is an English association football club based in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, East London. It was formed in 1992 after a merger between Redbridge Forest and Dagenham...

. On 15 January 2004 he stepped up to the Football League when he signed for Southend United

Southend United F.C.

Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...

, 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

Roots Hall

Roots Hall is a multi-use sports stadium in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, primarily used for football games and is the home of the Football League Two club Southend United. With a capacity of 12,392 Roots Hall is the largest football stadium in Essex, and is the current venue for the final of...

 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

Gillingham F.C.

Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...

, signing for them on 22 May 2006.

Bentley made his debut in the 2–1 home win over Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town F.C.

Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

 on 5 August and scored his first goal away to Bradford City

Bradford City A.F.C.

Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

 in a 4–2 defeat on 12 August.

He was runner up in the club's 2006–07 player of the year award behind Andrew Crofts

Andrew Crofts (footballer)

Andrew Lawrence Crofts is a Wales international footballer who plays for Norwich City as a midfielder.He started his career with Gillingham, for whom he made his Football League debut at the age of 16, and made over 190 appearances for the Kent-based club...

 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, Bentley signed a new one-year contract for new manager Andy Hessenthaler

Andy Hessenthaler

Andrew "Andy" Hessenthaler is an English football manager and former player, currently in his second spell as manager of Gillingham. Hessenthaler began his career in non-league football and did not turn professional until he joined Watford at the age of 26...

 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

Conference National

Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...

 club Cambridge United

Cambridge United F.C.

Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...

 on a one-month loan 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.

External links

• Mark Bentley player profile at gillinghamfootballclub.com