Bentham graduated from the Bradford City youth team in 2004 and regularly captained the reserves side in 2004–05.[2] He made his full debut on 26 February 2005 for Bradford City in a 1–1 draw with Walsall,[2] receiving a yellow card.[3] He made only one more appearance that season and has continued to struggle to hold down a first team place. An injury in pre-season prevented Bentham from playing until an FA Cup game in November of the 2006–07 season,[4] before he became a first team regular during the latter half of the season when City were relegated to League Two, playing in 18 games.[5][6]
With his league appearances limited to just two hundred substitute outings in the first half of the 2007–08 season, he signed a one-month loan deal at Conference National side Farsley Celtic on 3 January 2008.[7] Two days later he made a "very good" debut for Farsley but they lost 3–1 to Histon after taking a first-half lead.[8] The loan was extended beyond its initial one-month period, before Bentham scored his first senior goal in a 3–0 Conference victory over Woking on 16 February 2008.[9] He played 16 league games for Farsley Celtic and was later named the club's most influential player in their end of season player awards,[10][11] but he returned to Bradford City in April 2008.[12] In Bentham's absence, Farsley lost their final six games and were relegated from the Conference National to the Conference North.[13][14] He played once more for Bradford City but was one of 13 players to be released by manager Stuart McCall at the end of the season.[15] He played just 30 league games for Bradford in four years.[10] Six weeks after his release, he rejoined Farsley Celtic, following Tom Penford another midfielder who had been freed by Bradford City.[16]
