 Bentley continued to play in cup matches, and developed a reputation for being a good penalty saver.As a consequence, with a Football League Trophy southern area semi-final against Oxford United seemingly heading to Penalties, Southend manager Paul Sturrock substituted starting goalkeeper Paul Smith for Bentley in the 90th minute, provoking an angry reaction from Smith.Bentley went on to save Alfie Potter's spot kick and Southend won 5–3 on penalties, progressing to the Southern area final.