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Ian Knight (footballer)

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Ian Knight
Personal information
Full name Ian John Knight
Date of birth (1966-10-26) 26 October 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth Hartlepool, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
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 10 (1)
1993 Grantham Town ? (?)
International career
1986 England U21 2 (0)
Managerial career
2010– Abbotsford Mariners
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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.

Playing career

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Knight began his career promisingly. He established himself in the first-team at Sheffield Wednesday, and was capped twice for the England under-21s.[2]

Injury

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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.[3] 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.[4] It was the first time a professional footballer had successfully claimed compensation for a career-ending injury.[5]

Post-playing career

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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.[6] In April 2010, he was appointed head coach of the Abbotsford Mariners.[7]

Career statistics

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Source:[8]

Season Club Division League FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1984–85 Barnsley Second Division 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 0
1985–86 Sheffield Wednesday First Division 4 0 0 0 0 0 – 4 0
1986–87 15 0 3 0 1 0 – 19 0
1987–88 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 0
1988–89 2 0 2 0 0 0 – 4 0
1989–90 Scunthorpe United (loan) Fourth Division 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Grimsby Town 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1
1990–91 Third Division 8 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 10 1
1991–92 Second Division 4 0 0 0 0 0 – 4 0
1992–93 Carlisle United Third Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 45 2 5 0 2 0 1 0 53 2

References

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  1. ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  2. ^ England – U-21 International Results 1986–1995 Archived 25 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Culley, Jon (14 April 1996). "'There was talk of amputation'". The Independent. London. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  4. ^ "October 1997 News".
  5. ^ "Injury time | Features | The Lawyer". 17 June 2002. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  6. ^ "Ex-pro Ian carves coaching career". Hartlepool Mail. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "The English National Football Archive". Soccerdata. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
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