Junior Bent
Personal information
Full name Junior Antony Bent[1]
Date of birth (1970-03-01) 1 March 1970[1]
Place of birth Huddersfield, England[1]
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Preston North End (Academy coach)
Youth career
– Huddersfield Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1990 Huddersfield Town 36 (6)
1989–1990 → Burnley (loan) 9 (3)
1990–1997 Bristol City 183 (20)
1992 → Stoke City (loan) 1 (0)
1996 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 6 (0)
1997–2001 Blackpool 103 (5)
2001 Kettering Town
2002–2003 Lancaster City
Total 338 (34)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Junior Antony Bent (born 1 March 1970) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger in the Football League for Huddersfield Town, Burnley, Bristol City, Stoke City, Shrewsbury Town and Blackpool.[3]

Bent began his career with his hometown club Huddersfield Town playing in 44 matches and spending time on loan at Burnley before joining Bristol City in 1990. He became a regular at Ashton Gate and went on to stay for seven years making 221 appearances including short loan spells with Stoke City and Shrewsbury Town. He left Bristol City in 1997 and joined Blackpool where he stayed for three seasons before entering non-league football with Kettering Town and Lancaster City.

Career

Bent began his career as a trainee at Huddersfield Town, his hometown club, making his debut in 1987. He made 36 league appearances and scored six goals for the Terriers. During the 1989–90 season, he had a loan spell at Fourth Division side Burnley, with striker Brendan O'Connell moving in the opposite direction on a similar deal. Bent made his first appearance for Burnley on 2 December 1989 in the 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town. He went on to score three times in nine matches for the Lancashire club, including two goals in the 3–0 home win over Scarborough on 9 January 1990.[4]

In March 1990, Bent transferred to Bristol City for a £30,000 fee. He spent seven years at Ashton Gate, making almost 200 appearances and scoring 20 goals, including a last-minute winner in a League Cup tie at Bristol Rovers in his final match for the club. After loan spells at Stoke City, where he played just once, away at Torquay United he went on loan again to Shrewsbury Town, in 1992 and 1996 respectively, Bent signed for Blackpool in 1997 for a nominal fee.[1] In four years at Bloomfield Road he made just over 100 appearances and found the net on five occasions.[5] He was released in 2001,[6] and finished his career with brief spells at non-league clubs Kettering Town and, after a year out of the game, Lancaster City.

Post retirement

Bent now coaches at Preston North End. He is the Under 15s Coach.[7][8]

Personal life

Born in England, Bent is of Jamaican descent.[9] He is a relative of the footballer Darren Bent. Bent's son Cory is also a professional footballer and plays in Canada for HFX Wanderers.[10]

Career statistics

Source:[11]

Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other[A] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Huddersfield Town 1987–88 Second Division 7010000080
1988–89 Third Division 225310020276
1989–90 Third Division 7100101091
Total 366411030447
Burnley (loan) 1989–90 Fourth Division 9300000093
Bristol City 1989–90 Third Division 1000000010
1990–91 Second Division 202103010252
1991–92 Second Division 172411000223
1992–93 First Division 203000030233
1993–94 First Division 202400000242
1994–95 First Division 416312000467
1995–96 Second Division 402204030492
1996–97 Second Division 223101030273
1997–98 Second Division 2000210041
Total 1832015213110022123
Stoke City (loan) 1991–92 Third Division 1000000010
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 1996–97 Second Division 6000000060
Blackpool 1997–98 Second Division 363200030413
1998–99 Second Division 391102110432
1999–2000 Second Division 281202030351
Total 10355041701196
Career Total 3383424318220040039
A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Italian Cup, Football League play-offs and Football League Trophy.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0952415100.
  2. ↑ Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (1995). Rothmans Football Yearbook: 1995–96. London: Headline Publishing Group. p. 414. ISBN 978-0-7472-7823-8.
  3. ↑ "Junior Bent". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  4. ↑ Simpson, Ray (1996). The Clarets Collection 1946–1996. Burnley F.C. p. 22. ISBN 0-9521799-0-3.
  5. ↑ "Junior Bent". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  6. ↑ "Steve McMahon announces retained list". BlackpoolFC.co.uk. Blackpool Football Club. 4 June 2001. Archived from the original on 8 June 2001. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Hesketh adds winger". Lancashire Evening Telegraph. 12 December 2002. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  8. ↑ "Last gasp goal leaves City pointless". Lancashire Evening Telegraph. 20 December 2002. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  9. ↑ Roach, Stuart (24 September 2007). "Bent targets revival at Wigan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  10. ↑ Joshua Rendle (21 June 2018). "Familial Ties Inspire Bent Further in the Game". Victoria Highlanders. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  11. ↑ Junior Bent at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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