Geoff Bent

Geoffrey Bent (27 September 1932 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer who played as a full-back. He was one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster.

Geoff Bent

Bent in March 1957
Personal information
Full name	Geoffrey Bent
Date of birth	27 September 1932
Place of birth	Irlams o' th' Height, Pendleton, Salford, Lancashire, England
Date of death	6 February 1958 (aged 25)
Place of death	Munich, Bavaria, West Germany
Position(s)	Full-back
Youth career
1948–1951	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1951–1958	Manchester United	12	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Bent was born at Irlams o' th' Height in Pendleton, Salford, Lancashire in September 1932. He was the only child of miner Clifford Bent and his wife Clara.

He joined United as an apprentice on leaving school in the summer of 1948. After several seasons playing in the reserve and youth sides, he became a professional in 1951 and made his first team debut in the 1954-55 season, but never held a regular place in the first team. Over a period of three seasons, he made 12 league appearances as full-back cover for Roger Byrne on the left and Bill Foulkes on the right.

He did not play any first-team games during the 1957–58 season, having been on the sidelines for several months with a broken foot, and only travelled to Belgrade as cover for Roger Byrne – who had recently been injured and whose fitness was under doubt.

Headstone in St John's churchyard

He married Marion Mallandaine at Bolton in 1953[1] and their daughter Karen was born in September 1957.[2]

He died in the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958 and was buried in St. John's Churchyard in Irlams o' th' Height.[3]

He was survived by both of his parents as well as his wife and daughter, who was five months old at the time of his death.

His widow Marion made a number of television contributions in the years afterwards, including a 1998 ITV documentary, The Busby Babes: End of a Dream, which marked the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, as well as the 1975 John Roberts book The Team That Wouldn't Die, which included chapters documenting the stories of each of the eight players who died and included interviews with their surviving family members.

Career statistics

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		European Cup		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester United[4]
	1954–55	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	1955–56	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	1956–57	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	1957–58	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total		12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	0

References

3. Keeling, Neal (2 September 2015). "Criminals clean up neglected grave of Busby Babe Geoff Bent killed in Munich Air Disaster". Manchester Evening News. MEN Media. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
4. "Geoff Bent". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Andrew Endlar. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

Further reading

• The Team That Wouldn't Die, John Roberts (1974)

External links

• Forgotten Grave of a Busby Babe