Jason Paul Knight (born 13 February 2001) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Bristol City and for the Republic of Ireland national team.
Club career Early career Knight began his career at Cabinteely, playing for the club from age 4. He was signed by Derby County at age 16.
Derby County During the 2018–19 season, Knight was a part of Derby's U18 Premier League title success. He was an unused substitute in Derby's play-off second leg against Leeds United and the final against Aston Villa in which Derby missed out on promotion to the Premier League.
In the 2019–20 season under a new manager, Phillip Cocu, Knight was a regular in the first team squad and made his first team debut on 5 August 2019 in a 2–1 win away at Huddersfield Town. He scored twice in a 2–1 win over Charlton Athletic on 30 December 2019. On 22 January 2020, he signed a new contract with Derby running until June 2023. Knight made 35 appearances during the season, scoring six goals as Derby finished 10th in the table.
The 2020–21 season was a struggle for the club as Cocu was sacked in November 2020. Knight played 45 times scoring twice in the league against Millwall and Birmingham City both in December 2020. On 16 January 2021, Knight was handed his first captaincy for Derby County, in Wayne Rooney's first game as coach against Rotherham United. At the end of the season, Derby avoid relegation by one point.
In the 2021–22 pre-season, Knight received an ankle injury after a tackle by Rooney in training, which meant he missed the entire pre-season and opening month of the regular season. He returned just before Derby's season was brought into further turmoil when the club was placed into administration in September 2021, ensuring a deduction of 12 points, a further nine point deduction was imposed in November 2021. Knight made his 100th appearance for the club in 2–0 win over Sheffield United on 15 January 2022. He scored twice in 39 appearances during the season, but the club was not able to overcome the 21 point deduction and was relegated to EFL League One in April 2022.
In the 2022–23 season, Knight was often deployed as a right wing back by the interim manager Liam Rosenior, showing his versatility as a player. After Paul Warne was appointed manager in September 2022, Knight returned to his regular midfield role and, after an impressive performance against Port Vale, Warne described Knight as a "joy to watch". Knight scored three times in 47 appearances during a season in which Derby missed the play-offs by one point; one of these goals was in his 150th appearance for Derby in a 5–0 win over Morecambe on 4 February 2023. At the end of the 2022–23 season, an option was activated on Knight's contract, triggering an extension until June 2024.
Bristol City Knight joined Bristol City on 11 July 2023, signing a four-year contract as an undisclosed fee was agreed between the clubs. He scored his first goals for Bristol City when he scored twice in a 5–1 win over Oxford United in the EFL Cup on 9 August 2023. On 1 September 2023, it was announced that Knight had been voted August's Player of the Month by season ticket holders and city members. Knight secured 50% of the votes.
International career Knight has represented Ireland at every level from under-15 up to under-21 and made his debut for the senior team away to Finland on 14 October 2020. He made his full debut against Bulgaria in the UEFA Nations League on 18 November 2020. He scored his first senior international goal on 3 June 2021 in a 4–1 win over Andorra in a friendly at the Estadi Nacional.
Personal life Knight was educated at Clonkeen College in Deansgrange, Dublin. His older brother, Kevin Knight was also a footballer, a former Leicester City youth and Republic of Ireland under-19 international, who also played in the League of Ireland with Bray Wanderers, Cabinteely, Shamrock Rovers B, Athlone Town and Longford Town. His two younger brothers Conor and Rhys Knight are also footballers. Conor plays for Bray Wanderers, while Rhys plays for Bristol City's under-21 team.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dq2vcxVYs/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA Cup EFL CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsDerby County2019–20Championship3163010—3562020–21Championship4320021—4532021–22Championship3821000—3922022–23League One382313030473Total1501271613016614Bristol City2023–24Championship4644122—5272024–25Championship4631010205032025–26Championship3402021—381Total126771532014011Career total276191421145030625
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsRepublic of Ireland202030202161202280202390202490202560202650Total461
Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Knight goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Jason KnightNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 3 June 2021 Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra 3–1 4–1 Friendly
Honours Individual FAI Under-18 International Player of the Year: 2019 FAI Under-16 International Player of the Year: 2017
References