He was with the club for less than two years, but formed a key part of a forward line which also included Jackie Milburn, Len Shackleton and Charlie Wayman.
[2] In January 1948 Bentley signed for London side Chelsea for £11,000,[3] partially because he had been advised by his doctor that a move south would be a remedy for the lung problems from which he occasionally suffered.
This, combined with a strong heading ability and a powerful shot, saw him score 23 goals in his first full season with Chelsea, making him the club's top scorer, for which he also earned his first England call-up.
Though Chelsea's league form during his time there was often patchy, he played a key part in their first major FA Cup run for almost two decades in 1950.
[4] In addition to being captain, he scored 21 league goals during the season, including a hat-trick against Newcastle and two strikes in a 4–3 win against principal rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Bentley remained with Chelsea for only one more season and was one of the first to leave as the ageing championship-winning side was gradually broken up by Drake.
He is presently joint-fifth in Chelsea's all-time goalscorers list behind Frank Lampard, Bobby Tambling, Kerry Dixon and Didier Drogba, and level with Peter Osgood.
In 1960 he left Fulham but again stayed in West London, this time moving to Queens Park Rangers, where he saw out the remainder of his playing career.
He made his debut against Sweden and played for his country at the 1950 FIFA World Cup, including the 1–0 defeat to the USA.