Honed his skills in the muck and nettles of non-league football before making the step-up to the pro ranks with Southend and now Gillingham
The experienced midfielder began his career with Enfield and has undertaken an extensive schooling in non-league, clocking up over 100 appearances playing for the Es, Aldershot, Ebbsfleet and Dagenham & Redbridge.
A tall, strapping – predominantly central – midfielder, Bentley has also been deployed on the right wing, whilst his aerial prowess has called him into central defensive duty for the Gills.
He played almost 100 times in an 18-month spell for Southend – scoring 12 times – but turned down the opportunity to play Championship football for the Shrimpers, instead opting to join Gillingham where he started 73 league matches in his first two seasons, coming a close second to Andrew Crofts as the club’s 2006/07 player of the year.