[8] He made a goal scoring debut for the club at Roker Park during a 3–1 victory over Southampton, heading past Peter Shilton after just two minutes.
At the end of the season, Wadsworth departed the club to take up a coaching role at Newcastle United and Scarborough received an offer of £20,000 for Bennett from Darlington.
[10] He accepted the move, again being appointed player-coach, however he missed large amounts of playing time at the Feethams as he suffered from bone bruising.
[11] During his spell as a player-coach at Darlington, Bennett also managed the club's reserve side, helping them win the Pontins League First Division and the Durham Challenge Cup.
[12] Hodgson had led the club to the play-off final, losing 1–0 to Peterborough United, but had grown tired of continued conflict with the board.
[18][19] Bennett received an honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland in November 2022 in recognition of his achievements as a footballer, coach and anti-racism advocate.
[8] His daughter Janée Bennett is a musician and was nominated for a Brit Award in 2016 for her role in co-writing Jess Glynne's "Hold My Hand".