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 (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

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.^[2]

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.^[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

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

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