| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Anthony Bennett[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1959-07-11)11 July 1959 (age 66) | ||
| Place of birth | Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1981 | Manchester City | 54 | (9) |
| 1981–1983 | Cardiff City | 76 | (18) |
| 1983–1989 | Coventry City | 172 | (25) |
| 1989–1990 | Sheffield Wednesday | 28 | (0) |
| 1990–1992 | Swindon Town | 1 | (0) |
| 1991 | →Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 2 | (2) |
| 1992 | Nuneaton Borough | ||
| Total | 333 | (54) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
David Anthony Bennett (born 11 July 1959) is an English former professionalfootballer. He made over 200 appearances in theFootball League during his career,[3] including playing in twoFA Cup Finals;1981 forManchester City, when he finished on the losing side, and1987, when he produced a Man of the Match performance asCoventry City beatTottenham Hotspur 3–2.
Bennett was born inManchester and began his playing career with Manchester City, joining the club's youth side along with his brotherGary. He made his first senior appearance for them in the1978–79 season during a 0–0 draw withEverton on 14 April 1979 as a substitute in place ofTommy Booth,[4] and becoming a first team regular thefollowing season. The following year, Bennett was used mostly as a backup but his performances in the team's progression to the semi-finals of theFootball League Cup, scoring five times in the previous four matches, saw him selected for the1981 FA Cup Final againstTottenham Hotspur.
Bennett himself admitted that his attitude had held him back, stating: "I've really battled hard in recent months, because there were times before when my attitude wasn't quite right." He assistedTommy Hutchison for City's goal in the first match which ended in a 1–1 draw. He also won a penalty in the replay, having been fouled by Tottenham defenderPaul Miller, but was unable to stop his side losing the replay 3–2. By playing in the final, Bennett became the first black player to represent City in anFA Cup final.[5]
In September 1981, he was sold toSecond Division sideCardiff City following the signing ofMartin O'Neill.[5] His brother Gary also joined the Welsh club and the pair helped theBluebirds win promotion back to theSecond Division during the1982–83 season.[6] In two seasons atNinian Park, he played 77 league games and scored 18 goals.
In July 1983, he returned to theFirst Division in a move toCoventry City. Five strong seasons followed, capped by anFA Cup winner's medal in 1987 when he scored Coventry's first goal and supplied the cross forKeith Houchen's classic headed goal in a man of the match performance for the Sky Blues as they achieved a shock 3–2 win overTottenham Hotspur atWembley.[citation needed] Coventry had gone into the match as underdogs but Bennett later stated: "The critics say we were the underdogs because Tottenham had all these international players [...] but we weren't afraid of them.[7]
However, he broke his leg in March 1988 in a collision withDerby County goalkeeperPeter Shilton. Bennett did not return to action till New Year 1989, by this point having lost his place in the first team for the1988–89 season toMichael Gynn. He played just seven times before transferring to their First Division rivalsSheffield Wednesday in March 1989. He had played a total of 172 league games for the Sky Blues, scoring 25 goals. He spent 18 months at Sheffield Wednesday, enduring their relegation to the Second Division at the end of the1989–90 season,
Bennett is one of 30 former Coventry City players included in the Hall of Fame at the club's home, theRicoh Arena, to which they relocated fromHighfield Road in 2005.
Bennett joinedSwindon Town in September 1990 for a fee of £60,000. He was brought to theCounty Ground by managerOssie Ardiles, who had ironically been his Tottenham nemesis in the FA Cup final only three years earlier. He made his debut in a 4–2 win overOxford United, however, injury misery immediately followed, with Bennett breaking his leg in only his second match for the club, following a tackle fromGary Gill, during aFootball League Trophy match againstDarlington. After spending a year recovering, Bennett was loaned out toShrewsbury Town to regain full match-fitness. Astonishingly, he broke the same leg, again in his second appearance for the club, effectively ending his professional career.[8] He later played for non-league sideNuneaton Borough.[9]
Dave Bennett worked for a time as a pundit and co-commentator for Free Radio 80s Coventry and Warwickshire, covering Sky Blues matches. He is now often heard in a similar role on BBC Coventry & Warwickshire.