Billy Knott

Billy Knott

Knott in 2011.
Personal information
Full name	Billy Steven Knott[1]
Date of birth	28 November 1992
Place of birth	Canvey Island, England
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Bradford City
Number	11
Youth career
2005–2007	West Ham United
2007–2010	Chelsea
2010–2011	Sunderland
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^â€	(Gls)^â€
2011–2014	Sunderland	1	(0)
2012	→ AFC Wimbledon (loan)	20	(3)
2012–2013	→ Woking (loan)	20	(8)
2013–2014	→ Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	17	(1)
2014	→ Port Vale (loan)	17	(2)
2014–	Bradford City	43	(3)
National team
2007	England U16	1	(0)
2008	England U17	6	(1)
2011	England U20	4	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:16, 18 August 2015 (UTC). † Appearances (goals)

Billy Steven Knott (born 28 November 1992) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for League One side Bradford City.

He joined Sunderland after being released from the Chelsea Academy in 2011. He played one game for the club, and spent periods on loan at AFC Wimbledon, Woking, Wycombe Wanderers, and Port Vale. He joined Bradford City in May 2014. He has represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-20 level.

Club career

Sunderland

Knott was signed by Sunderland after he was released by Premier League rivals Chelsea in the 2010–11 season.^[2] He had been dismissed from the Chelsea Academy and forced to sign a confidentiality agreement after a "smoke grenade incident".^[3]

Knott joined Terry Brown's League Two side AFC Wimbledon on loan on 11 January 2012,^[4] and made his debut in a 2–1 win against Port Vale three days later.^[5] He scored his first goal in professional football at Kingsmeadow in a 2–1 win over Macclesfield Town on 24 January.^[6] The 19-year-old received the "Dons" Young Player of the Year award, despite only playing half the 2011–12 season, having scored three goals in twenty appearances.^[7]

On 8 October 2012, Knott joined Conference Premier side Woking on a one-month loan.^[8] He made his debut at Kingfield Stadium in a 2–1 win over Cambridge United the following day.^[9] His first goals came for Garry Hill's "Cardinals" came against Luton Town on 1 January 2013, when he scored twice in a 3–1 win.^[10] He scored another two goals on 2 February, in a 2–1 win over Hyde.^[11] He was awarded the club's Goal of the Season award for his curled effort against Hyde, which was also nominated for the Conference's Goal of the Season competition.^[12] Knott scored eight goals in twenty league games, and returned to the Stadium of Light, at the end of Woking's season, after a 2–1 defeat to Tamworth.^[13] Manager Paolo Di Canio handed him his Sunderland debut on 19 May 2013, the last day of the 2012–13 Premier League season, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.^[14]

Knott joined League Two side Wycombe Wanderers on a one-month youth loan deal on 20 August 2013.^[15] He made his Wycombe debut four days later in a 2–2 draw with local-rivals Oxford United, and manager Gareth Ainsworth stated that: "Billy Knott had an immense debut. He has energy, passion, drive, everything that I like in a player, and on top of that he's got Premiership quality with his left foot."^[16] He settled into the first team at Adams Park, and his loan spell was twice extended.^[17][18] On 14 September, he scored his first goal for the "Chairboys", in a 3–0 win over Plymouth Argyle.^[19] He was re-called by Sunderland on 13 January, 16 days before his loan spell was due to end.^[20]

On 22 January 2014, Knott joined League One club Port Vale on loan for the remainder of the 2013–14 season.^[21] He scored his first goal at Vale Park with a left-footed strike from 25-yards on 22 March, in a 3–2 win over Tranmere Rovers.^[22] In doing so he boosted his chances of winning a contract from "Valiants" manager Micky Adams when his contract at Sunderland expired in the summer.^[23] On 1 April, he scored with a 20-yard strike in a 2–1 home win over Crawley Town that was later voted as the club's Goal of the Season.^[24]

Bradford City

Knott signed a two-year contract with League One club Bradford City in May 2014, and stated that "[having heard] manager Phil Parkinson's plans to take the club forward you can't really turn that down."^[25] Knott made his debut on 9 August in a 3–2 win against Coventry City at Valley Parade.^[26] Knott scored his first goal for the "Bantams" on 19 August, in a 3–1 win away to Crawley Town.^[27] On 27 August, he scored in a 2–1 win against West Yorkshire rivals Leeds United in the Second Round of the League Cup.^[28] On 24 January, he played the first 80 minutes of City's 4–2 FA Cup giant-killing of Premier League champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, which he described as the greatest achievement of his career.^[29][30] After the game he received a signed shirt from "Blues" captain John Terry, which he passed on to his Chelsea supporting father.^[31] In the next round he helped Bradford beat another Premier League team, as they ran out 2–0 winners over his former club Sunderland.^[32]

International career

Knott has represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-20 level. He scored for the under-17s in a 7–0 win over Estonia in a qualifier for the 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Championship on 24 October 2008.^[33] Brian Eastick selected Knott and Sunderland teammate Blair Adams in the 21 man squad for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.^[34]

Style of play

Knott is a left-footed midfielder with a 'high-intensity, high-energy' playing style.^[35]

Career statistics

As of match played 18 August 2015.

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sunderland	2010–11[36]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2011–12[37]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2012–13[38]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2013–14[39]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
AFC Wimbledon (loan)	2011–12[37]	League Two	20	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	20	3
Woking (loan)	2012–13[38]	Conference Premier	20	8	0	0	—		2[lower-alpha 1]	2	22	10
Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	2013–14[39]	League Two	17	1	3	0	0	0	3[lower-alpha 2]	1	23	2
Port Vale (loan)	2013–14[39]	League One	17	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	2
Bradford City	2014–15[40]	League One	40	3	8	3	3	1	0	0	51	7
	2015–16[41]	League One	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	Total		43	3	8	3	3	1	0	0	54	7
Career total			118	16	11	3	3	1	5	3	137	24

1. Appearances in FA Trophy
2. Appearances in Football League Trophy

References

1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/02/2013 and 28/02/2013". The Football Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
2. "Billy Knott". Sunderland A.F.C. Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
3. Hope, Craig (23 January 2015). "Chelsea cast-off Billy Knott eyeing revenge as Bradford City head to Stamford Bridge". Daily Mail. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
4. "Wimbledon tie up Knott on loan". Sky Sports. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
5. "Port Vale 1 - 2 AFC Wimbledon". BBC Sport. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
6. "AFC Wimbledon 2 - 1 Macclesfield". BBC Sport. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
7. "Award for youngster Knott". SAFC.com. Retrieved 2012.
8. "Sunderland midfielder Billy Knott loaned to Woking". BBC Sport. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
9. "Woking 2 - 1 Cambridge". BBC Sport. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
10. "Woking 3 - 1 Luton". BBC Sport. 1 January 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
11. "Woking 2 - 1 Hyde". BBC Sport. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
12. Shaw, Nick. "Goal of the Season - The Result". wokingfc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
13. "Tamworth 2 - 1 Woking". BBC Sport. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
14. McNulty, Phil (19 May 2013). "Tottenham 2 - 1 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
15. "Knott links up with Wycombe". Sunderland AFC. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
16. "Oxford Utd 2 - 2 Wycombe". BBC Sport. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
17. "Billy Knott extends Wycombe loan stay from Sunderland". BBC Sport. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
18. "Sunderland's Billy Knott extends Wycombe Wanderers loan". BBC Sport. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
19. "Plymouth 0 - 3 Wycombe". BBC Sport. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
20. "Sunderland recall Billy Knott from Wycombe Wanderers loan spell". BBC Sport. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
21. "Port Vale sign Sunderland's Billy Knott". BBC Sport. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
22. "Port Vale 3 - 2 Tranmere Rovers". BBC Sport. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
23. "Billy Knott playing for contract next season". The Sentinel. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
24. Baggaley, Mike (5 May 2014). "Tom Pope named Port Vale player of the year". The Sentinel. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
25. "Billy Knott signs from Sunderland". BBC Sport. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
26. "Bradford City 3-2 Coventry City" BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
27. "Crawley Town 1-3 Bradford City" BBC Sport. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
28. "Bradford City 2-1 Leeds United" BBC Sport. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
29. "Chelsea 2 - 4 Bradford". BBC Sport. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
30. Knott, Billy (25 January 2015). "I didn't have to buy a drink all night after beating my old club Chelsea... now I want to knock out West Ham!". Daily Mail. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
31. Clements, Ashley (25 January 2015). "Billy Knott thanks John Terry for giving signed shirt to his dad as former Chelsea youngster revels in Bradford's famous FA Cup victory". Daily Mail. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
32. "Bradford 2 - 0 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
33. "England 7 - 0 Estonia". uefa.com. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
34. "Head Coach Brian Eastick names his squad for World Cup in Colombia". thefa.com. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
35. "Old boy Ainsworth tips Billy Knott to impress". The Sentinel. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
36. "Games played by Billy Knott in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
37. "Games played by Billy Knott in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
38. Appearances and goals for this season are taken from:
    "Games played by Billy Knott in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
    "Woking vs. Farnborough 7 â€“ 0". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
    "Woking vs. Welling United 0 â€“ 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
39. "Games played by Billy Knott in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
40. "Games played by Billy Knott in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
41. "Games played by Billy Knott in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Retrieved 12 July 2015.

External links

• Billy Knott career statistics at Soccerbase