Post by malcolm on Jan 11, 2024 21:12:53 GMT 1
I wrote this article on striker Warren Bentley which appeared in today's Hampshire Chronicle
Striker Warren Bentley who has retired from football is in his second spell with the club, having rejoined the club during the promotion season of 2021/22 season from Hungerford rand it was perhaps fitting that his final goal for the club came in helping Winchester to come back from 2-0 down to force a 2-2 draw at Hungerford who are managed by Danny Robinson whom Warren played for at both Alresford and Winchester. He also scored in the match against Walton and Hersham on the opening day of the season in a match that was eventually abandoned.
Warren’s first spell with the club started when he was signed from Alresford at the start of the 2014/15 season, Bentltley’s goal scoring exploits had played a major part in Alresford’s successful seasons of 2012/13 and 2013/14 in which they twice finished second in the Wessex League and they scored a total of 249 league goals in these two seasons, an average of more than three per game. During these two seasons they also won the Wessex League Cup and the North Hants Senior Cup twice and the Hampshire, Aldershot and Southampton Senior Cups once and reached the fourth round of the F A Vase which is the furthest they have ever progressed to in this competition.
In his first ever season with Winchester they finished second behind Petersfield, but were the top scorers in the division with 120 league goals. An average of three per league game and it seems that Warren scored an incredible 56 goals in that campaign based on his speech when he won the Golden Boot award for being the top scorer in the top eight divisions of English football the following season. Winchester that season also reached the third qualifying round of the F A Cup for the first time in 58 years before losing to Essex club. Concord Rangers.
Petersfield’s success in winning the Wessex League title in 2014/15 earned them promotion to the Southern League that season and almost certainly played a major part in the Petersfield manager Ian Saunders being appointed Winchester boss a year later. However, it seemed that as a result of finishing second that Winchester’s hopes of returning to the Southern League were over for another year. These hopes though were rekindled when Flackwell Heath, another club who had qualified for promotion to the Southern Division felt unable to play in the South and West Division 1 they were allocated to play due to the costs involved and Winchester were the team to benefit from their withdrawal.
One might argue that Winchester were lucky to be promoted in this manner, but it is worth pointing out that Winchester themselves were also located further east than the majority of teams in this South and West Division and far more travelling than they had experienced in the Wessex League, and recruitment usually more challenging if you only discover that you are undertaking this travelling later in the day. In fact Winchester has never been in terms of location a Central, Western or Eastern club and that fact has certainly increased our travelling as Southern League club and certainly during our time in the Southern League we have encountered some long trips to the more westerly located clubs.
Despite these handicaps Warren Bentley who had not previously played Southern League football soon announced himself at this level with five goals against Bridgwater in a 7-2 victory and as already stated Bentley won the golden boot that season for his 57 goals. He formed an excellent striking partnership with Zach Glasspool with Jamie Barron playing just behind the pair. Bentley’s goals not only helped Winchester reach the playoffs having in six previous seasons at Southern League level in three spells never finished higher than 12th, but he was also captain of the team that year.
His goal scoring exploits in 2015/16 certainly earned him an opportunity to play at a higher level and for over five years he played in the National League South and Southern Premier League representing Gosport, Hungerford, Poole, Weymouth and Salisbury,. However one always sensed that he wanted to finish his career at Winchester where he made a name for himself by scoring 113 goals in two seasons, and he rejoined the club in November 2021. In the 2021/22 season in which Winchester got promoted he scored the opening goal in our playoff final victory against Bristol Manor Farm…
Last season Bentley was Winchester’s top scorer with 17 goals and this as well as playing an important part in helping Winchester consolidate their newly won Southern Premier League status. but iy also helped him win the supporters player of the year award. This season with competition for places up front he has not always started games, but on his last appearance for the club he came on as substitute against Hayes and Yeading and almost scored an equalizer before fellow substitute Simba Mlambo did.
In the four seasons that Warren played for the club prior to the current campaign we have been promoted twice, reached the playoffs on another occasion and made an important contribution last season which I have already documented. As a PE teacher he is used to nurturing sporting talent, He was also a great clubman and I am sure that if he wanted to return to Winchester football club in any capacity he would be welcomed back with open arms.
Striker Warren Bentley who has retired from football is in his second spell with the club, having rejoined the club during the promotion season of 2021/22 season from Hungerford rand it was perhaps fitting that his final goal for the club came in helping Winchester to come back from 2-0 down to force a 2-2 draw at Hungerford who are managed by Danny Robinson whom Warren played for at both Alresford and Winchester. He also scored in the match against Walton and Hersham on the opening day of the season in a match that was eventually abandoned.
Warren’s first spell with the club started when he was signed from Alresford at the start of the 2014/15 season, Bentltley’s goal scoring exploits had played a major part in Alresford’s successful seasons of 2012/13 and 2013/14 in which they twice finished second in the Wessex League and they scored a total of 249 league goals in these two seasons, an average of more than three per game. During these two seasons they also won the Wessex League Cup and the North Hants Senior Cup twice and the Hampshire, Aldershot and Southampton Senior Cups once and reached the fourth round of the F A Vase which is the furthest they have ever progressed to in this competition.
In his first ever season with Winchester they finished second behind Petersfield, but were the top scorers in the division with 120 league goals. An average of three per league game and it seems that Warren scored an incredible 56 goals in that campaign based on his speech when he won the Golden Boot award for being the top scorer in the top eight divisions of English football the following season. Winchester that season also reached the third qualifying round of the F A Cup for the first time in 58 years before losing to Essex club. Concord Rangers.
Petersfield’s success in winning the Wessex League title in 2014/15 earned them promotion to the Southern League that season and almost certainly played a major part in the Petersfield manager Ian Saunders being appointed Winchester boss a year later. However, it seemed that as a result of finishing second that Winchester’s hopes of returning to the Southern League were over for another year. These hopes though were rekindled when Flackwell Heath, another club who had qualified for promotion to the Southern Division felt unable to play in the South and West Division 1 they were allocated to play due to the costs involved and Winchester were the team to benefit from their withdrawal.
One might argue that Winchester were lucky to be promoted in this manner, but it is worth pointing out that Winchester themselves were also located further east than the majority of teams in this South and West Division and far more travelling than they had experienced in the Wessex League, and recruitment usually more challenging if you only discover that you are undertaking this travelling later in the day. In fact Winchester has never been in terms of location a Central, Western or Eastern club and that fact has certainly increased our travelling as Southern League club and certainly during our time in the Southern League we have encountered some long trips to the more westerly located clubs.
Despite these handicaps Warren Bentley who had not previously played Southern League football soon announced himself at this level with five goals against Bridgwater in a 7-2 victory and as already stated Bentley won the golden boot that season for his 57 goals. He formed an excellent striking partnership with Zach Glasspool with Jamie Barron playing just behind the pair. Bentley’s goals not only helped Winchester reach the playoffs having in six previous seasons at Southern League level in three spells never finished higher than 12th, but he was also captain of the team that year.
His goal scoring exploits in 2015/16 certainly earned him an opportunity to play at a higher level and for over five years he played in the National League South and Southern Premier League representing Gosport, Hungerford, Poole, Weymouth and Salisbury,. However one always sensed that he wanted to finish his career at Winchester where he made a name for himself by scoring 113 goals in two seasons, and he rejoined the club in November 2021. In the 2021/22 season in which Winchester got promoted he scored the opening goal in our playoff final victory against Bristol Manor Farm…
Last season Bentley was Winchester’s top scorer with 17 goals and this as well as playing an important part in helping Winchester consolidate their newly won Southern Premier League status. but iy also helped him win the supporters player of the year award. This season with competition for places up front he has not always started games, but on his last appearance for the club he came on as substitute against Hayes and Yeading and almost scored an equalizer before fellow substitute Simba Mlambo did.
In the four seasons that Warren played for the club prior to the current campaign we have been promoted twice, reached the playoffs on another occasion and made an important contribution last season which I have already documented. As a PE teacher he is used to nurturing sporting talent, He was also a great clubman and I am sure that if he wanted to return to Winchester football club in any capacity he would be welcomed back with open arms.