[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.
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.
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.
[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.