Former Brentford player Paul Bence has passed away at the age of 75.

Bence spent just shy of seven seasons with the Bees, featuring at Griffin Park for most of the 1970s.

He joined Brentford from Reading before the start of the 1970/71 season, having begun his career with Brighton and Hove Albion.

By the time he left in spring 1977 he had established himself as a reliable defender or defensive midfield player and racked up hundreds of games in red and white.

Bence played 268 games for the Bees in all competitions, scoring six goals, and was part of the team that won promotion from Division Four in 1972.

He made 244 league appearances for the club and won the Players’ Player of the Year award at the end of the 1972/73 season.

Bence was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2019. He reflected on the moment he discovered this news in an interview for the club’s match programme last year.

“Peter Gilham asked if I would mind coming down on the pitch at half-time for a little interview and I agreed,” he said.

“He conned me into going down there when it wasn't for an interview at all! I was absolutely gobsmacked. I'm not very often lost for words, but I was lost for words then. It was a fantastic moment.

“I look back on my time at the club with great fondness. I had my ups and downs as a player because I wasn’t in the team all the time, so it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. But I just love Brentford – it’s a very special place for me.”

Rest in peace, Paul.