ROY BENTLEY

‘Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind when you are the captain of a great club like Chelsea, but Roy never overstepped the mark, and when you were pulled up by him, you respected what he said and did your best to improve.’ Les Stubbs, fellow 1955 Championship winner



Roy Bentley took over from John Harris as club captain towards the end of the 1950/51 season, leading the team to victories in their final four league games that meant relegation from the First Division was staved off on goal average.

Four seasons later, we were champions. Bentley’s captaincy, allied with his prowess in front of goal, played a crucial role in our success. He will forever be remembered as the first man to captain Chelsea to a major honour.

Signed in January 1948 from Newcastle United for £11,000, Bentley’s career in west London actually got off to a slow start as he struggled with his fitness and physicality. Ahead of the following season, 1948/49, he converted from an inside-forward to a deep-lying centre forward, an unusual position in those days. It allowed him a degree of mobility which frequently saw him raiding down the flanks or taking up dangerous positions in the box. Soon the goals started to flow. Bentley would be our leading scorer for eight consecutive seasons before his departure to neighbours Fulham in September 1956.