| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ian Knight | ||
| Date of birth | 26 October 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Hartlepool, England | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Barnsley | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1985–1989 | Sheffield Wednesday | 21 | (0) |
| 1989 | → Scunthorpe United (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1989–1992 | Grimsby Town | 21 | (2) |
| 1992 | Carlisle United | 1 | (0) |
| 1992 | Boston United | 10 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 1986 | England U-21 | 2 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2010– | Abbotsford Mariners | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Ian Knight (born 26 October 1966 in Hartlepool, England) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played for Sheffield Wednesday and Grimsby Town before retiring due to injuries.
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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.[1]
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 brief spells at Carlisle United and Boston United 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] and was the first time a professional footballer had successfully claimed compensation for a career-ending injury.[4]
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]