| Ian Knight | |
| Fullname: | Ian John Knight |
| Birth Date: | 26 October 1966 |
| Birth Place: | Hartlepool, England |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in[1] |
| Position: | Defender |
| Youthclubs1: | Barnsley |
| Years1: | 1984–1985 |
| Years2: | 1985–1990 |
| Years3: | 1989 |
| Years4: | 1990–1992 |
| Years5: | 1992 |
| Years6: | 1992–1993 |
| Years7: | 1993 |
| Clubs1: | Barnsley |
| Clubs3: | → Scunthorpe United (loan) |
| Clubs6: | Boston United |
| Clubs7: | Grantham Town |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Caps2: | 21 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Caps3: | 2 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Caps4: | 21 |
| Goals4: | 2 |
| Caps5: | 1 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Caps6: | 10 |
| Goals6: | 1 |
| Caps7: | ? |
| Goals7: | ? |
| Nationalyears1: | 1986 |
| Nationalteam1: | England U21 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Manageryears1: | 2010– |
| Managerclubs1: | Abbotsford Mariners |
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.
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]
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]
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]
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 | |||