WEYMOUTH manager Mark Molesley admitted new signing Warren Bentley is a player that the club have always tried to get into the club after his signing was announced on Tuesday evening.
Bentley, who signed from Poole Town, scored 17 times in 35 games in the National League South during a season in which Poole were relegated to the Southern League South.
Molesley said: “He is a player we have courted before I was manager, Paul (Maitland, Weymouth Director of Football) tells me that they have liked Bentley and always tried to get him into the club and proved unsuccessful so we are delighted to announce him.
“He is a player we all like and admire and feel that he would fit into the group well and add something for us.”
As a result of Poole’s relegation he will, if selected, face his old club during the coming season.
In this respect he will be joined by Abdulai Baggie, who Bentley played with last season until the former’s move to Weymouth at the end of October last year.
Bentley has formerly played for Winchester City as captain and also had a brief spell with National League South side Hungerford Town in the 2017/18 term.
Molesley admitted that with his move to Poole last year, Weymouth thought they might have missed out on him.
When asked about how the move came about, Molesley said: “We kept an eye on him.
“He is a player we have always had on our radar and even when he went to Poole last year he was one we thought we might have missed out on, but luckily this time we did not.
“He went to Poole scored 17 goals in a team that got relegated and he played wide quite a bit out there for them as well so he gives us options.
“I think he is an exciting acquisition and he just adds to the quality that we have got up there.
“We want competition for places, we want options and we want people pushing and vying for a spot.”
