Geoff Bent

Geoffrey Bent was born at Irlams o' th' Height in Salford, Lancashire on 27 September 1932.[1] He was the only child of Clifford Bent, a surfaceman at Sandhole Colliery, and his wife Clara (née Dunning).[2][3] He grew up in a typically matriarchal working-class family; his father was the sole money earner, but his mother ran the household and had more influence on her son.[4] The family lived in a small house in Jacksons Buildings at the back of a shop; the only entrance was from a side alley, and had no indoor toilet. Bent received his education in Swinton; he first attended St John's Junior School, and then was awarded a scholarship to Tootal Road Grammar School. Bent was a member of both the Boy Scouts and the Boys' Brigade, and a keen swimmer. In 1946, aged 13, Bent saved another child from drowning in the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal, and was awarded a medal from his local Humane Society.[5]

Although Bent was encouraged to play rugby league by both his father, who supported the local Swinton club, and one of his teachers, he was only ever interested in playing association football.[6] Bent began as a forward, playing at inside left, but later moved into the defence, first as a half back and then left back. He played for Barton Villa in local league football, and in the 1946–47 season, he captained the Salford Schoolboys team to victory in the English School's Trophy, beating a Leicester team in the final.[7][8] His performances for Salford drew the attention of several prominent clubs. Bent's mother, Clara, did not want him to leave home, and she swayed him to sign a contract with Manchester United.[9] At the time, players were not allowed to sign a professional contract with a team until they had left school, so like many of his teammates, Bent also took on an apprenticeship as a joiner,[10] a trade he continued during the summer breaks between football seasons.[11] During the early stages of his time with Manchester United, Bent met Marion Mallandaine, initially when he had been dating her younger sister, Betty.[12] His relationship with Betty did not last very long, and he settled down with Marion, who he married on 27 June 1953 in Pendlebury,[3] and the couple later moved into one of the football club's houses on King's Road, not far from the club's home ground of Old Trafford.[13]

Bent initially joined Manchester United as a trialist in August 1948, then as an amateur alongside his apprenticeship in May 1949.[1][lower-alpha 1] Over the following few years, he played for United's youth and reserve teams, where he excelled. Manchester United had a nucleus of young, upcoming players, so these teams were often very strong; Bent appeared alongside players such as Bobby Charlton, Wilf McGuinness, David Pegg and Duncan Edwards.[16] In April 1951, aged 18, Bent signed a professional contract with the team.[17]

Bent had been expected to replace John Aston Sr. at left back in the Manchester United first-team;[18] Aston was one of the older players in the team and injuries led to his retirement at the end of the 1953–54 season.[19] However, Bent's teammate Roger Byrne had made it clear early in the 1952–53 season that he wanted to play at left back, requesting a transfer when the Manchester United manager Matt Busby played him on the left wing instead. Busby relented, and Byrne returned to left back. Byrne became Manchester United captain in February 1954,[20] and it was clear that Bent would not be preferred for the position.[18]

Bent made his first team debut for Manchester United in December 1954 against Burnley,[20] in place of Byrne, who had a neck injury.[17] He appeared once more that season, when Byrne was on international duty for England in April.[21] Bent's appearances were again sporadic the following season deputising for either Byrne or Bill Foulkes; he played three times in October,[22][23][24] and then once in April.[25] Modern commentators suggest that at almost any other First Division club, Bent would have been a regular member of the first team,[18][26] and he twice requested a transfer. On both occasions, Busby turned down the request, explaining that he was too valuable for the club to lose.[18] His wife, Marion, believed that several other First Division teams were interested in Bent, including Wolverhampton Wanderers, who along with Manchester United were one of the more successful clubs of the 1950s.[27] In 1956–57, Bent played six times, each time standing in for either Byrne or Foulkes.[25]

Despite his infrequent first-team appearances, Bent was well thought of, both within the club, as evidenced by Busby's refusal to sell him to a rival, and beyond.[28][29] In an article published in the Manchester Evening News in 1955, Byrne described the positive effect that having strong reserve players such as Bent, who he called a "valuable prospect", had on the team, specifying that; "I for one have really got to strive to keep my position".[30] Foulkes later echoed claims that Bent would have been a first-team regular for most other clubs, and went on to describe him as being "quiet and more studious" than many of his team-mates.[31] In his history of the victims of the Munich air disaster, Jeff Connor describes Bent as "tall, well built and a strong tackler",[18] while his biography in The Official Manchester United Illustrated Encyclopedia calls him a "good tackler and accurate passer".[20]

Headstone in St John's churchyard

Bent did not play any first-team games during the 1957–58 season,[25] having been on the sidelines for several months with a broken foot, the second such injury he had suffered during his time with the club. He was on crutches when visiting hospital in September 1957 for the birth of his daughter, Karen.[32]

By February 1958, Bent was fully recovered, and had returned to action for the reserve team.[33] He was not initially included in the travelling party for the second leg of the European Cup quarter-final against Red Star Belgrade.[9] Bent did not enjoy flying, suffering from nose bleeds and requiring ear drops when he did so,[33] and Ronnie Cope was going to travel with the team as a reserve for the experience of a European away fixture.[9][lower-alpha 2] However, in the days leading up to the trip, Byrne complained of an injury niggle, and so Busby called up Bent for the trip.[34] Bent complained to his wife about the trip, saying: "I don't know why they're taking me, because I'm sure Roger will be fit."[33] Ultimately, Bent was proved right; Byrne recovered and played the match, which United drew 3–3, ensuring they won the two-legged tie and progressed to the semi-finals.[25]

Snow had been falling for most of the game in Belgrade, but the weather was better for the team's flight home the next morning. However, as the aircraft approached Munich-Riem Airport, the snow worsened once more. The plane landed safely, and the players disembarked while the plane was refuelled. A short time later, with the passengers back on board, the plane made two aborted attempts to takeoff, each time suffering from apparent engine problems. The passengers were asked to disembark again while the pilots discussed the issue with the ground crew, and fifteen minutes later they were ready to try again. On the third attempt, the plane reached 117 knots (217 km/h; 135 mph), the plane's takeoff decision speed, the speed above which takeoff can no longer safely be aborted, but then hit slush on the runway, and dropped speed. The plane failed to takeoff, and crashed off the end of the runway, through the barrier fencing, and across a road.[35] Different parts of the plane hit a tree, a house and a wooden hut which exploded. Bent was one of twenty-one people who died before the emergency services arrived—a death toll which included eight journalists and seven Manchester United players. Two more died from their injuries over the following few weeks, taking the total number of fatalities to twenty-three.[36] Bent's funeral and interment was held on 13 February at St. John's Church in Pendlebury.[37]

Even though he was not a regular starter, Bent was considered to be one of the Busby Babes, the young team formed at Manchester United under manager Matt Busby in the 1950s which won the Football League in both 1955–56 and 1956–57.[3][38] Bent's name, along with those others who died in Munich, appears on a memorial plaque at Old Trafford,[39] and there is also a memorial stone in Munich, near the site of the crash.[40] The neglected state of his grave has been a regular press story; in 1988 the Manchester Evening News ran a story, in which Bent's widow said she could not afford to maintain the grave.[41] Similar stories appeared in 2005 and 2015; in each instance Manchester United said they would look to provide regular maintenance.[42][43]

• Forgotten Grave of a Busby Babe