Bentley keen to kick on

Valu Bentley — crowd favourite

FANS' favourite Valu Bentley was the happiest man in town today after sealing a deal to extend his stay with Oldham for another year.

Signing a new 12-months contract, the 28-year-old Kiwi loose-forward said he had been swayed by the quality of the senior players who had already pinned their colours to the Roughyeds mast for 2011.

The others are Johnny Walker, Jason Boults, Dave Ellison, John Gillam, Martin Roden, Ben Heaton, Scott Mansfield, Danny Whitmore, Chris Clarke, Luke Sutton and new boy Andy.

Added Bentley: "It's done and dusted and I'm chuffed to get it out of the way. I always wanted to re-sign - it was just a matter of waiting to see who else was going to commit as well.

"There are still a few more to come on board, but I'm delighted to sign up alongside the lads who' have done it already and I'm hoping more will follow suit."

Due to a mid-season spell when he was out injured, Bentley played in only 16 of the club's 28 cup and league games last season, but of those 16 games he finished a winner 13 times.

Now he is eager to have a second crack at helping the Roughyeds to win promotion under the guidance of his fellow Kiwi and head coach Tony Benson.

Added Bentley: “I learned a lot from Tony, but I still have a lot more to learn.

“By the end of last season he had got me playing the best rugby I had ever played. I hope to carry on where I left off and maybe go even better.”

A market trader, Bentley said he and the whole squad owed a debt of gratitude to Roughyeds supporters for their backing both home and away.

“Our rapport with the fans was special,” he added, “and it went bigger and better once we moved to Whitebank. They follow us away, too.

“No wonder we won every single away game. It was just like playing at home. We even had 300 fans with us on a Friday night at London Skolars.

“No other club in that division gets backing like that. I love it - and it was a factor in my decision to stick with the Roughyeds for another year.”

Benson made the Roughyeds’ loose-forward position his own last season and the coach is confident he will go from strength to strength in his second season.

He said: “I’m delighted to have Valu back on board. He has raw physical ability as well as skill, and his attitude is always first-class.

“He has a good understanding of the game and its finer points and his ability to switch from front-row, taking us forward, to the back three, where he is called upon to be a ball player, makes him an extremely valuable member of the side.”