Manchester United
Supporters Club
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.
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 over the decade made 12 league appearances as full-back cover for Roger Byrne on the left and Bill Foulkes on the right. He made his first senior appearance in the 1954–55 season.
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 not been expected to play in the match due to injury, but still did.
Headstone in St John's churchyard
He married Marion Mallandaine at Bolton in 1953 and their daughter Karen was born in September 1957.
He died in the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958 and was buried in St. John's Churchyard in Irlams o' th' Height.
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.
