Grays Athletic manager Mark Bentley scores goal and saves penalty Published duration 9 March 2015

media caption Grays Athletic manager Mark Bentley has been reflecting on a "mad" match, where he came on as a substitute to score a goal and save a penalty.

A football manager became a super-sub when he scored a goal and saved a penalty after coming on at half-time, leading his team to victory.

Grays Athletic came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Hampton and Richmond after manager Mark Bentley's match-winning performance.

Mr Bentley, 37, said the reaction to the "surreal antics" was "mad".

image copyright Grays Athletic image caption Mark Bentley took charge of the club in early January

"It's really bizarre. Being in the Ryman League, you never get that kind of exposure," Mr Bentley told the BBC.

"I've been getting loads of messages, my Twitter went mental. The YouTube video's had 300,000 hits - I sort of wish I'd made a better save!"

'Took the gloves'

Mr Bentley, a former Southend United player, said he decided to come on just after half-time following a poor first half from his team.

At first he took the place of a midfielder and scored a goal, but "took the gloves" when his side's goalkeeper was sent off.

"Then I was faced with a penalty. Lucky for me I went the right way and saved it," he said.

Grays Athletic went on to score a last-minute goal and win three points.

"We've got a big Ryman League cup semi-final on Wednesday, we're playing Billericay. We're just hoping all the publicity will get people through the gates," Mr Bentley added.

image copyright YouTube user: Kevin James image caption The manager saved a penalty after Grays Athletic's goalkeeper was sent off

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