Ian Knight (footballer)

Ian John Knight (born 26 October 1966) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played for Sheffield Wednesday and Grimsby Town before retiring due to injuries.

Ian Knight
Personal information
Full name Ian John Knight
Date of birth (1966-10-26) 26 October 1966
Place of birth Hartlepool, England
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Barnsley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1985 Barnsley 0 (0)
1985–1990 Sheffield Wednesday 21 (0)
1989 → Scunthorpe United (loan) 2 (0)
1990–1992 Grimsby Town 21 (2)
1992 Carlisle United 1 (0)
1992–1993 Boston United ? (?)
1993 Grantham Town ? (?)
National team
1986 England U21 2 (0)
Teams managed
2010– Abbotsford Mariners
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Knight began his career promisingly. He established himself in the first-team at Sheffield Wednesday, and was capped twice for the England under-21s.[1]

Injury

Knight was badly injured on 4 February 1987 in a FA Cup replay against Chester City. Two minutes into the game a poor tackle by Gary Bennett left Knight's leg broken in seven places.[2] Although he recovered from the injury, Knight lost his place in the first-team and was sold to Grimsby Town. However, recurring injury problems limited him to only 21 appearances in two years and he left the club in 1992. He then had a brief spell at Carlisle United, appearing once in the league before dropping into non-league football, where he played for Boston United and Grantham Town before deciding to retire.

He later sought £1.5 million damages against Bennett for the incident. In 1997, Knight settled the case out of court with Chester City.[3] It was the first time a professional footballer had successfully claimed compensation for a career-ending injury.[4]

Post-playing career

Shortly after retiring, Knight worked on a youth programme at Grimsby. When his contract with Grimsby ended, he moved to Canada where he coached youth teams at the Greater London Soccer Club.[5] In April 2010, he was appointed head coach of the Abbotsford Mariners.[6]

Career statistics

Source:[7]

Season Club Division League FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1984–85BarnsleySecond Division 000000–00
1985–86Sheffield WednesdayFirst Division 400000–40
1986–87 1503010–190
1987–88 000000–00
1988–89 202000–40
1989–90Scunthorpe United (loan)Fourth Division 2000000020
Grimsby Town 9100000091
1990–91Third Division 81001010101
1991–92Second Division 400000–40
1992–93Carlisle UnitedThird Division 1000000010
Total 452502010532

References
  1. England – U-21 International Results 1986–1995 Archived 25 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Culley, Jon (14 April 1996). "'There was talk of amputation'". London: The Independent. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  3. http://www.chester-city.co.uk/october97news.asp
  4. "Injury time | Features | The Lawyer". 17 June 2002. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  5. "Ex-pro Ian carves coaching career". Hartlepool Mail. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  6. "SYL Coach Climbs USL Ladder – Ian Knight Joins Abbotsford Mariners in PDL". 30 March 2010. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  7. "The English National Football Archive". Soccerdata. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
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