16: Billy Knott
Billy Knott spent time in the academies at West Ham United and Chelsea before joining Sunderland, where he made one Premier League appearance. A succession of productive loans took him to AFC Wimbledon, Woking, Wycombe Wanderers and Port Vale, while he also represented England at under-20 level. He then made more than 60 league appearances for Bradford City, featuring in their famous FA Cup victory at Chelsea, before moving to Gillingham and eventually joining the Imps on loan during the National League title campaign.
There has to be a shout here for him having been in the top ten. Knott was so talented, but clearly had demons. It was also the circumstance of him coming here from League One, dropping into League Two; he felt like a coup. I don’t know what might have happened had he not been sent off against Notts County. He’d just got into the ten role, but the red set him back and he never really recovered.
Knott’s EFL career ended following his departure from Lincoln, with subsequent spells at numerous non-league clubs including Concord Rangers, Chelmsford City, Bowers and Pitsea, Canvey Island and Margate. He later returned to the Essex football scene and joined Hullbridge Sports in 2025.
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