Roy Bentley, the previous Chelsea striker and captain has died, elderly 93.
Bentley gained the league identify with the Blues in 1955 and spent 8 years with the membership, scoring 150 objectives in 367 appearances.
“A Chelsea legend within the truest sense of the phrase, his significance within the membership’s tale has, and not shall be, forgotten,” the membership mentioned.
The membership paid Newcastle £11,000 for him in January 1948 and he most sensible scored in seven consecutive seasons. Bentley is the joint-fifth absolute best objectives general in Chelsea’s historical past and used to be appointed captain by way of supervisor Billy Birrell against the tip of the 1950/51 season, changing his good friend. Johnny Harris.
Later that summer time each he and Harris went on strike over a contractual dispute, and didn’t play for 8 weeks. “The golf equipment have footballers over a barrel,” he mentioned on the time. “They’ve were given the cash, and we’re the gear.”
Bentley used to be happy he had fought his nook and returned to the aspect to lend a hand win the fight in opposition to relegation. He earned the then most £12 every week from soccer, however supplemented his source of revenue by way of operating part-time as a salesperson, and likewise benefited from promoting Colman’s mustard and milk, in addition to that includes within the film Cosh Boy along Joan Collins and Sid James.
In 1955, his crowning second got here as he become Chelsea’s first identify successful captain.
And Bentley addressed round 40,000 spectators at Stamfor Bridge as soon as the league used to be protected, despite the fact that the avid gamers did not in reality get their fingers at the First Department trophy or medals till the summer time.
‘I at all times discovered Chelsea lovers a perfect bunch,’ he later mentioned. ‘Operating out onto the outdated Stamford Bridge pitch and seeing the applause unfold spherical the entire flooring, all of the approach as much as The Shed on the again, in reality did make you glow. Once we had been doing smartly and the bottom used to be filled with greater than 70,000 lovers, it used to be one thing else.’
Successful the identify used to be a top level and in 1956, to the protest of lovers, he used to be instructed he used to be being moved on and he joined Fulham and later performed for Queens Park Rangers ahead of retiring in 1962.