Paul Bence

Paul Bence
Personal information
Full name Paul Ian Bence
Date of birth (1948-12-21) 21 December 1948
Place of birth Littlehampton, England
Playing position Defensive Midfielder
Youth career
– Brighton & Hove Albion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1967–1968 Brighton & Hove Albion 1 (0)
1968–1970 Reading 14 (2)
1970–1977 Brentford 244 (6)
1976–1977 → Torquay United (loan) 5 (0)
– Wokingham Town
Teams managed
1984–1986 Wycombe Wanderers
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Paul Ian Bence (born 21 December 1948 in Littlehampton, Sussex) is an English former professional footballer who made more than 250 appearances in the Football League playing for Brighton & Hove Albion,[1] Reading,[2] Brentford and Torquay United.[3]

Bence began his career as an apprentice with Brighton & Hove Albion, turning professional in May 1967. He had previously captained Sussex Schools Under-15 side. His league debut (and only league appearance for Brighton) came as a substitute the following season. In June 1968 he left for Reading, but was only to make 14 league appearances, scoring twice, in the next two seasons at Elm Park. In July 1970 Reading released the player and he joined Brentford, where he established himself, making 244 league appearances over 7 seasons and scoring 6 goals and won the club's Players' Player of the Year award in the 1972–73 season.[4] In November 1976, having lost his place at Brentford, he played five league games on loan at Torquay United.

He left Brentford in March 1977, subsequently becoming player-coach at Wokingham Town[5] and putting to use the FA coaching qualification he had gained in 1973. He was later youth coach at Queens Park Rangers and coached at Farnborough Town.[6] In August 1984 he was appointed manager of Wycombe Wanderers, and guided them to promotion to the Alliance Premier League in his first season in charge,[7] but only because the two teams finishing above them failed the ground grading criteria. Wycombe were relegated the next season, though Bence had already left in January 1986 because of increasing work commitments.[8][9]

In 2003, he was reported to be national sales manager for a Wiltshire-based brewery, and a keen golfer.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Brighton & Hove Albion : 1946/47–2008/09". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  2. ↑ "Reading : 1946/47–2008/09". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  3. ↑ "Brentford : 1946/47–2008/09". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  4. ↑ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the 70s. Legends Publishing. p. 295. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  5. ↑ Iain McNay (2009). The Terry Brown Story (Interview). Cherry Red Records. Event occurs at 27:25. Retrieved 2015-10-19.
  6. ↑ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920-2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 19. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  7. ↑ "Club History". Wycombe Wanderers F.C. Archived from the original on 2008-11-22. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  8. ↑ Hurman, Dale. "Black Players In Light & Dark Blue". Wycombe Wanderers F.C. Archived from the original on 2012-02-29. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  9. 1 2 "Paul has a ball at Frilford". Abingdon Herald. 1 February 2003. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
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