Tom Knowles

Thomas Andrew Knowles (born 27 September 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and forward for Cambridge United. He has previously played on loan at St Neots Town, Cambridge City and St Ives Town, Hemel Hempstead Town and Kettering Town.

Tom Knowles

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Andrew Knowles[1]
Date of birth	(1998-09-27) 27 September 1998
Place of birth	Cambridge, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Playing position(s)	Midfielder Forward
Club information
Current team	Cambridge United
Number	23
Youth career
	Newmarket Town
2016–2017	Cambridge United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–	Cambridge United	2	(1)
2017	→ St Neots Town (loan)	11	(0)
2017	→ Cambridge City (loan)	21	(9)
2018	→ St Ives Town (loan)	15	(4)
2018	→ Dartford (loan)	3	(0)
2018–2019	→ Hemel Hempstead Town (loan)	0	(0)
2019	→ Kettering Town	1	(1)
2019	→ Royston Town
2019–2020	→ Chelmsford City (loan)	18	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 4 March 2020 (UTC)

Playing career

Knowles graduated through the Cambridge United Shadow Scholars Academy to win a place in the club's youth-team in 2016.[3] He was a part of the under-18 team that reached the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup in the 2016–17 season.[4] On 4 February 2017, he joined Southern League Premier Division side St Neots Town on a one-month loan deal, along with "U's" teammate Fernando Bell-Toxtle.[5] He made 12 appearances for the "Saints". He signed a six-month development contract with United at the end of the 2016–17 season, with Academy manager Mark Bonner commenting that Knowles had "taken ownership for his development and shown a willingness to learn and improve".[6] On 3 August 2017, he joined Southern League Division One Central club Cambridge City on an initial one-month loan deal.[7] He scored a hat-trick for the club in a 7–3 win over Arlesey Town on 23 October.[8] Having scored ten goals in 28 appearances for the "Lilywhites", he was recalled by United manager Shaun Derry in order to sit on the bench in a league fixture against Notts County.[9]

On 8 January 2018, he joined St Ives Town of the Southern League Premier Central on an initial 28-day youth loan.[10] He signed a one-year contract extension with United the following month.[9] He was recalled to Cambridge United by new manager Joe Dunne on 20 April after picking up several Man of the Match awards and scoring four goals during his 16 appearances for the "Saints".[11] He made his first-team debut on the final day of the 2017–18 season, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute for David Amoo in a 5–0 victory over Port Vale at the Abbey Stadium on 5 May.[12]

On 31 August 2018, Knowles joined Dartford on an initial month's loan.[13]

He was offered a new contract by Cambridge United at the end of the 2018–19 season.[14]

On 17 October 2019, Knowles signed for Chelmsford City on an initial one-month loan.[15] On 3 March 2020, after previously having his loan deal extended until the end of the season, Knowles was recalled by Cambridge. [16]

Statistics

As of matches played 14 November 2018.

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Cambridge United	2017–18[17]	EFL League Two	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2018–19[18]	EFL League Two	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	3	0
	Total		2	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	4	0
St Neots Town (loan)	2016–17[19]	Southern League Premier Division	11	0	0	0	0	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	12	0
Cambridge City (loan)	2017–18[19]	Southern League Division One Central	21	9	4	1	2	0	1[lower-alpha 2]	0	28	10
St Ives Town (loan)	2017–18[19]	Southern League Premier Central	15	4	0	0	0	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	16	4
Dartford (loan)	2018–19[19]	National League South	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Hemel Hempstead Town (loan)	2018–19[19]	National League South	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			52	13	4	1	3	0	4	0	63	14

1. Appearance/s in the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup.
2. Appearance/s in the FA Trophy.

References

1. Tom Knowles at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
2. "Tom Knowles". cambridge-united.co.uk. Cambridge United F.C. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
3. "Shadow Scholar trials for top young footballers". camre.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
4. Mason, Aaron (13 January 2017). "Valiant effort from United under-18s in FA Youth Cup defeat". cambridgenews. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
5. Mason, Aaron (4 February 2017). "Cambridge United youngsters join St Neots Town on loan". cambridgenews. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
6. "Youngster Town Knowles Signs Contract Extension Until 2019". .cambridge-united.co.uk. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
7. Dunn, Andrew. "Norman and Knowles added to squad". www.cambridgecityfc.com. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
8. "Tom Knowles fires a hat-trick for Cambridge City in Arlesey Town victory". Cambridge Independent. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
9. Georgeson, Andrew (7 February 2018). "Cambridge United youngster agrees a new deal with the club". cambridgenews. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
10. "St Ives Town sign Cambridge United winger Knowles | Non League Daily". nonleaguedaily.com. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
11. "Tom Knowles recalled by Cambridge United". stivestownfc.co.uk. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
12. "Cambridge United 5-0 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
13. "PLAYER NEWS: Tom Knowles". Dartford F.C. Official website. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
14. "David Forde: Cambridge United release former Millwall keeper". BBC Sport. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
15. "Knowles joins on loan". Chelmsford City F.C. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
16. "Knowles returns to Cambridge United". Chelmsford City F.C. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
17. "Games played by Tom Knowles in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
18. "Games played by Tom Knowles in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
19. "Tom Knowles Profile | Aylesbury United FC". www.aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2018.