343 Bert Knott

Biography

Promising footballer born in Goole joins Hull City and makes just over a handful of first team starts. So far so ordinary. But Herbert “Bert” Knott took a remarkable path to get to the newly-opened Boothferry Park for his first senior game for the Tigers in 1946.

Knott started his career at local side Goole Town and at the age of 18 the centre forward was signed by Arsenal, the finest club in the land in the 1930s that had already won the First Division once, and under the management of Herbert Chapman was about to claim three more titles. Knott did not break into the Arsenal first team and in 1934 he joined the Gunners’ nursery club Margate – scoring four goals on his debut for the Kentish side was a considerable statement about his talent. He spent two seasons with the Wasps and scored 29 goals before returning to Arsenal in May 1936. He left Arsenal for Brentford for the 1936/37 season, but he also failed to make a first team appearance with the Bees and in the 1937 close season he dropped into the non-leagues with Birmingham & District League side Brierley Hill Alliance. He was quickly signed up by Walsall and in 1937/38 season he finally make his Football League bow, scoring two league goals in eleven starts. In 1938/39 he joined Stourbridge and in two years he scored over 100 goals for The Glassboys.

Bert played for several sides during World War 2, as was common place in the non-senior regional competitions that took place. In October 1940 Bert Knott played his first wartime fixture for the Tigers and in 1940/41 he made 19 starts and scored an impressive 19 goals. Bert served the Royal Army Service Corps as Sargeant Instructor during the war and with City not competing in the wartime regional leagues for three seasons from 1941/42 onwards, Knott played 31 games for Lincoln City and scored 28 goals, including 12 goals in 3 consecutive games in December 1941 – he also played for Nottingham Forest and Leicester City in 1942/43 season, as well as an Eastern Command Army select XI. When City returned to wartime action in 1944/45 Knott was only occasionally available but still manage to score six times in just 3 starts. In 1945/46 City again did not compete and Bert turned out in wartime fixtures for Sheffield United, Bradford Park Avenue (for whom he played in a FA Cup Sixth Round tie) and Clapton Orient. He returned to City for the 1946 close season to be part of the squad rapidly assembled by Major Frank Buckley on resumption of Division Three North. Knott’s impressive wartime scoring exploits were not repeated and after seven starts and one goal (a consolation in a 1-5 walloping at Chester) Knott was dropped from first team contention.

In January 1947 he rejoined Margate and again announced his arrival in style, scoring a hattrick on his debut against Deal. Knott’s ten goals helped Margate lift the Kent League title, but he left in the 1947 close season. Bert completed his career with spells at Hinckley Athletic and Wellingborough Town and was a Butlins Redcoat for several summer seasons. He later settled in Lincolnshire, where his wife hailed from. and died in Spilsby in June 1986.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 5 December 1914, Goole
Hull City First Game: 31 August 1946, Lincoln City H (Division Three North), 31 years, 269 days old
Hull City Final Game: 7 December 1946, Bradford City A (Division Three North), 32 years, 2 days old

Clubs

Goole Town (1932), Arsenal (1932-1934), Margate (1934-1936), Brentford (1936-1937), Brierley Hill Alliance (1937), Walsall (1937-1938), Stourbridge (1938-1940), Hull City (1946-1947), Margate (1947), Hinckley Athletic (1947-1948), Wellingborough Town (1948-1949)

Hull City Record

Career: 7 apps, 1 goals

Bert Knott
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