Chainat Hornbill F.C.

Chainat Hornbill Football Club (Thai สโมสรฟุตบอลชัยนาท ฮอร์นบิล) is a Thai professional association football club based in Chai Nat province. The club plays in Thai League 2.

Chainat Hornbill
ชัยนาท ฮอร์นบิล

Full name	Chainat Hornbill Football Club สโมสรฟุตบอลชัยนาท ฮอร์นบิล
Nickname(s)	The Hornbills (นกใหญ่พิฆาต)
Short name	CNHB
Founded	2009; 16 years ago (2009)
Ground	Khao Plong Stadium Chai Nat, Thailand
Capacity	9,000
Chairman	Anucha Nakasai
Head Coach	Laksana Kamruen
League	Thai League 2
2024–25	Thai League 2, 14th of 18
Website	chainathornbill.com
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

The club has won 1 Thai League 2 title and 1 Thai FA Cup in their history.^[1]

History

Foundation

Chainat Hornbill Football Club is a professional football club founded in 2009 by Anucha Nakasai, a former Thai politician. The club was placed in the best management class as a result, and it has developed rapidly since its first season. In the 2009 Northern Regional Division 2 Regional League the club came third, playing 20 matches and winning 12, drawing 3 and losing 5 for a total of 39 points. Their top scorer was Sanogo Abou, with 15 goals.^{[citation needed]} In 2012, the club was promoted to the top league, Thai League 1, for the first time.^[2]

Dennis Amato era

In 2016, club chairman, Anucha Nakasai announced the appointment of Dennis Amato as the new head coach of the club.^[3] In October 2017, the club came first winning the 2017 Thai League 2 with 67 points and was promoted to the 2018 Thai League 1.^[4]

After Chainat Hornbill's promotion to the top tier of Thai football, Amato briefly left the club to take up a role as a director of football at Ang Thong.^[5] The club announced the appointment of Drago Mamić as the new head coach of the club but Mamić left the club for personal reasons.^[6] However, Amato return to Chainat again, but was faced with many problems, including a squad with a limited number of players, and strict financial constraints.^[7]

A Thai League Survival Campaign: Giant-killing

Florent Sinama Pongolle is the club's all-time top scorer (33)

In 2018, after a win against defending FA Cup champions Chiangrai United, the Hornbills defeated the defending Thai League 1 champions Buriram United 1–0 at the Chang Arena, which was the first time that Buriram United had failed to win a league game on their own home ground since the return of Bozidar Bandovic as coach.^[8] In the 2018 season, the club became well known as "giant-killing." (Thai: จอมล้มยักษ์).^[9] Under Amato's management, the Hornbills play a style of football based on maintaining possession, and trying to win the ball back after losing it, instead of regrouping into a defensive position.^[10][11]

In 2019, the Hornbills beat many Thai League 1 giants. In a home game at Khao Plong Stadium they beat Muangthong United 3–0, won against Bangkok United with a score of 21, and beat Buriram United 2–1.^{[citation needed]}

Stadium and locations by season

Coordinates	Location	Stadium	Capacity	Year
15°13′08″N 100°09′20″E	Chai Nat	Khao Plong Stadium	12,000	2009–present

Season by season record

Season	League[12]									FA Cup	League Cup	Top scorer
	Division	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Pos			Name	Goals
2009	Div. 2 North	20	12	3	5	52	32	39	3rd	QR1	–	—	—
2010	Div. 2 North	30	22	5	3	54	13	71	2nd	Opted out	Opted out	—	—
2011	Div. 1	34	21	3	10	68	42	66	2nd	QF	R1	Phuwadol Suwannachart	21
2012	TPL	34	9	12	13	59	72	39	14th	R4	R1	Phuwadol Suwannachart	13
2013	TPL	32	10	8	14	42	43	38	10th	R3	R2	Sumanya Purisai	11
2014	TPL	38	10	14	14	43	50	44	14th	R3	QF	Nikola Nikezić Park Jung-Soo Sumanya Purisai	4
2015	TPL	34	9	10	15	42	53	37	12th	SF	R1	Alex	17
2016	TL	31	8	6	17	46	61	30	17th	W	R1	Florent Pongolle	13
2017	T2	32	20	7	5	64	40	67	1st	R1	R1	Florent Pongolle	14
2018	T1	34	11	9	14	46	52	42	13th	R1	R1	Bernard Doumbia	15
2019	T1	30	8	6	16	31	50	30	15th	R2	R2	Ricardo Santos	10
2020–21	T2	34	16	9	9	61	47	57	6th	R1	—	Warayut Klomnak	9
2021–22	T2	34	15	12	7	58	46	57	5th	R1	R2	Badar Ali	10
2022–23	T2	34	11	8	15	44	48	41	13th	R2	QPR	Diego Silva	14
2023–24	T2	34	9	10	15	32	46	37	14th	Opted out	Opted out	Thanayut Jittabud	9
2024–25	T2	32	8	11	13	32	34	35	14th	QR	R2	Thanayut Jittabud	13

Champions

Runners-up

Third place

Promoted

Relegated

P = Played W = Games won D = Games drawn L = Games lost F = Goals for A = Goals against Pts = Points Pos = Final position N/A = No answer

TL = Thai League 1

QR1 = First Qualifying Round QR2 = Second Qualifying Round QR3 = Third Qualifying Round QR4 = Fourth Qualifying Round RInt = Intermediate Round R1 = Round 1 R2 = Round 2 R3 = Round 3

R4 = Round 4 R5 = Round 5 R6 = Round 6 GR = Group stage QF = Quarter-finals SF = Semi-finals RU = Runners-up S = Shared W = Winners

Players

First team squad

As of July 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 4 DF  THA Tanin Kiatlerttham 5 DF  KOR Young-jae Yoo 7 MF  THA Mongkonchai Kongjumpa (Captain) 11 FW  IRQ Selwan Al-Jaberi 12 DF  CMR Mardochée Kaham Seuntcha 14 MF  THA Thanayut Jittabud 17 DF  THA Fittaree Khadearee 18 MF  THA Kongnathichai Boonma 19 GK  THA Kiadtisak Chaodon 20 FW  GHA Abdul Kharim Ayeh 21 FW  THA Tanasorn Chantharakhot 22 MF  THA Nathaphop Kaewklang

No. Pos. Nation Player 24 MF  THA Adunlikhit Saengdaeng 25 FW  THA Pongsakorn Poonsamrit 27 DF  THA Bazil Samakkij 28 GK  THA Pongsaphat Sukkasem 31 MF  THA Pongsaphak Sukkasem 37 MF  THA Nattapong Promorn 42 GK  THA Thanayut Hamanee 55 DF  THA Patipanchai Phothep 63 MF  THA Phurewat Aunthong 71 DF  THA Prapawit Charoenrat 79 MF  THA Nawinmet Chaewchan 95 GK  THA Panumek Palalec

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  THA Surabadee Ratjarean (at Sakaeo)

Coaches

Coaches by Years (2010–present)

• Issara Sritaro 2010–2012
• Surachai Jaturapattarapong 2012–2014
• Jadet Meelarp 2014
• Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul 2014–2015
• Issara Sritaro 2015–2016
• Koichi Sugiyama 2016
• Dr. med. Björn Kliem 2016–2017
• Dennis Amato 2017
• Drago Mamić 2017–2018
• Dennis Amato 2018–2019
• Ronald Boretti 2020–2021
• Sumeth Yooto 2021–2022
• Daniel Blanco 2022
• Sumeth Yooto 2022
• Pannarai Phansiri 2022–2023
• Sumeth Yooto 2023–2024
• Sarach Paungchup 2024–2025
• Laksana Kamruen 2025–

Honours

Domestic competitions

League

• Thai League 2:
  • Winner: 2017
  • Runner-up: 2011
• Regional League Northern Division:
  • Runner-up (1): 2010

Cups

• Thai FA Cup
  • Champions: 2016