AFC Bentley is a non-league football club who are based in Bentley, which is a former mining village located two miles north of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. Football in the village has had a rich, complicated, and interesting history.
A club called Bentley Colliery was formed in 1912, going on to compete in the Yorkshire League before resigning their place in 1925, but
then returning as members of Division Two of the competition for the 1949-50
season.
Promotion was secured in 1951-52, but the side went back down in 1955-56, prior to regaining their Division One status in 1956-57. The club left the Yorkshire League after finishing bottom of the table in 1960-61.
Bentley Victoria appear to have become the foremost club to represent the village, as they became members of Division Three of the Yorkshire League in 1973-74 before leaving the league, and possibly re-emerging as Sunday league side, Bentley Victoria Welfare in 1976.
They entered the Yorkshire League and won the Division Three title in 1976-77, prior to winning promotion to Division One twelve months later. Relegation followed in 1978-79 before returning to the top tier of the competition in 1979-80.
Bentley became founder members of Northern Counties East League in 1982-83 before leaving the league at the completion of the 1986-87 campaign, quite possibly because of the closing down of the local mines around the same time.
The club re-formed as Bentley Colliery and became members of the Doncaster & District Senior League, winning the title at the end of the 2000-01 season and winning promotion to the Central Midlands League where they were placed in the Premier Division.
Promotion to the Supreme Division followed in 2006-07. However, the club was demoted at the end of the 2007-08 season because the Welfare Ground didn’t have floodlights. The team ended the 2010-11 campaign as Premier League runners-up.
They were then placed in the North Division following league re-organisation in 2011-12. In December 2015, Bentley resigned from the Central Midlands League, with the club folding shortly after.
In
2016 football was reintroduced as nearby Brodsworth Colliery, who can be read
about here, had their own troubles and tribulations, and changed their name to
AFC Bentley and entered the Central Midlands League North Division at the
Welfare Ground.
They finished third in both 2016-17 and 2017-18, prior to a sixth place. This was followed by a couple of abandoned seasons owing to the worldwide pandemic, after which two midtable slots ensued.
The competition merged with Midlands Regional Alliance to form the Central Midlands Alliance for the 2023-24 season, with Bentley being placed in the Premier North Division.
Wednesday 10th October 2012
I was in South Yorkshire, enjoying a day of groundhopping before heading off to support my team Scarborough Athletic at Barton Town Old Boys that evening. The train from my previous club Mexborough Town had dispatched me in Doncaster, and I was soon on board a Bentley bound bus from Doncaster Interchange.
I was relieved as ever to find I'd got on the correct service. It dropped me right outside the locked gate to the Welfare Ground. This was of no problem as the ground was easily visible and I was able to take the photos I required.
It was a very basic venue if truth be told. There was one small covered stand for standing spectators on the half way line, with several huts alongside for offices and changing rooms. A railed fence surrounded the playing area. There were no floodlights.
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