Peter Knowles
Encyclopedia
Peter Knowles is an English former football
player. He spent his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers
, where he became a popular player scoring around 101 goals in all competitions. He voluntarily ended his football career in 1970 after he became one of Jehovah's Witnesses
. He is the brother of fellow professional footballer Cyril Knowles
.
-oriented, as his father played for Wakefield Trinity
. However, the main sport in the family quickly changed to football as he and his brother, Cyril Knowles
, proved to have significant football talent. Peter's talent was spotted by Wath Wanderers, a feeder team which trained youth players primarily for Wolverhampton Wanderers. In 1961, aged 16, Knowles spent a year with the youth outfit, playing under supervision from Wath's coach, Mark Crook. Knowles quickly caught the attention of Wolves, who in 1962 signed the 17-year-old on a six-year contract.
, where his best position appeared to be a mix between an attacking midfield role and a centre forward. In the 1963–64 season
, Wolves began to slip out of contention for the honours after so many years of consistent success. This led to manager Stan Cullis
dropping several older players and giving a chance to younger squad numbers, including the 18-year-old Knowles, who was drafted into the struggling team, and quickly proved he could handle things in the top flight. His début appearance was against Leicester, and he scored his first goal a game later, against Bolton
in a 2-2 draw. He kept his place in the first team, but found it hard to make an impact as Wolves struggled. Partnering Peter Broadbent up front, his skilful play earned him praise; but he was prone to significantly quiet periods of form. Wolves narrowly escaped relegation
that season, but their lengthy and illustrious stay in the top flight would be over before long.
In the 1964–65 season
, Wolves were relegated in last-but-one place. However, it was that season which saw Knowles emerge as a top class footballer. The teenager played with an arrogant swagger, finishing the season with six goals and setting up countless others. Despite his good form for Wolves, he was disappointed at the relegation and asked for a transfer. This request was rejected, allowing Knowles to build upon his success at Wolves. The departure of Stan Cullis, the man who originally gave Knowles his chance, was a factor in his request to leave Molineux. Ronnie Allen
took over the job from Cullis.
In the 1965–66 season
, it quickly became apparent that Knowles was a notch above just about everyone else playing in the Second Division. Among a handful of goals, he scored two hat-tricks early on in the season against Carlisle United
and Derby County
, making him the top scorer for the club by some way. His good form was interrupted however, as he endured the first big injury of his career. Despite missing a number of games, he managed to finish the season with 19 goals. Frustratingly for Knowles, Wolves did not manage to gain promotion that season, condemning him to another season of Second Division football. He remained at Molineux, and in the 1966–67 season
Wolves finished runners-up in the Second Division and achieved promotion to the First Division.
On his return to the First Division, he suffered from injury problems once again, only managing 21 appearances and eight goals. Later on in that season however, Knowles was compensated with a call up to the Under-23 England team.
In a move by FIFA to raise awareness of "soccer" in the United States, a mini-league was held in which various teams from Britain went to America to represent different states. Wolves represented Los Angeles
, and Knowles featured in the side as they went on to win their league. The 21-year-old Knowles managed several goals in the tournament.
The 1967–68 season
brought about a new strike partner for Knowles, in the form of Derek "The Doog" Dougan
. Knowles, now an established performer, performed well in the top flight with Dougan, managing to narrowly avoid relegation. Knowles managed 12 goals during the season, which led to the 22-year-old receiving three more Under-23 international caps
. With the 1970 World Cup
in Mexico quickly approaching, Knowles sought a move away from Wolves. His request was once again rejected by manager Allen.
In the 1968–69 season
, Wolves finished 16th in the table, despite Knowles only managing nine goals. In the summer which followed, Knowles once again travelled to the United States to play in a promotional league. This time, Wolves represented Kansas City
. Knowles scored five in the tournament, helping Wolves to its second state-side victory.
off to a great start, winning seven out of their first eight matches. The eighth game of the season, a 3-3 draw against Nottingham Forest
, was the last game that Knowles ever played.
Knowles was now retired from football and the dream of winning a full England cap would never be fulfilled. But a succession of Wolves managers held out the hope that Knowles might one day return to the game, and he remained on contract at the club for the next 12 years. In 1982, however, new manager Graham Hawkins
conceded that Knowles would never return, and promptly terminated the 36-year-old's contract. 1991 saw folk musician Billy Bragg
release a song which many saw as a direct reference to Knowles. The song was called "God's Footballer", from Bragg's album Don't Try This at Home.
Knowles suffered a tragedy on 30 August 1991 when his brother Cyril died of cancer aged 47.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player. He spent his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, where he became a popular player scoring around 101 goals in all competitions. He voluntarily ended his football career in 1970 after he became one of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
. He is the brother of fellow professional footballer Cyril Knowles
Cyril Knowles
Cyril Barry Knowles was a footballer who played full-back for Tottenham Hotspur and England. He was the brother of fellow professional footballer Peter Knowles.- Early career :...
.
Early career
Knowles was born into a family which was originally Rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
-oriented, as his father played for Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
. However, the main sport in the family quickly changed to football as he and his brother, Cyril Knowles
Cyril Knowles
Cyril Barry Knowles was a footballer who played full-back for Tottenham Hotspur and England. He was the brother of fellow professional footballer Peter Knowles.- Early career :...
, proved to have significant football talent. Peter's talent was spotted by Wath Wanderers, a feeder team which trained youth players primarily for Wolverhampton Wanderers. In 1961, aged 16, Knowles spent a year with the youth outfit, playing under supervision from Wath's coach, Mark Crook. Knowles quickly caught the attention of Wolves, who in 1962 signed the 17-year-old on a six-year contract.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Knowles spent a year in the youth team at the MolineuxMolineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
, where his best position appeared to be a mix between an attacking midfield role and a centre forward. In the 1963–64 season
1963-64 in English football
The 1963–1964 season was the 84th season of competitive football in England, from August 1963 to May 1964:-Overview:* Liverpool won the League Championship.* West Ham United won the FA Cup.* Leicester City won the League Cup.-Diary of the season:...
, Wolves began to slip out of contention for the honours after so many years of consistent success. This led to manager Stan Cullis
Stan Cullis
Stanley Cullis was a professional footballer and manager, most notably for Wolverhampton Wanderers. During his term as manager between 1948 and 1964 Wolves became one of the strongest teams in the British game, winning the league title on three occasions, and playing a series of high-profile...
dropping several older players and giving a chance to younger squad numbers, including the 18-year-old Knowles, who was drafted into the struggling team, and quickly proved he could handle things in the top flight. His début appearance was against Leicester, and he scored his first goal a game later, against Bolton
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
in a 2-2 draw. He kept his place in the first team, but found it hard to make an impact as Wolves struggled. Partnering Peter Broadbent up front, his skilful play earned him praise; but he was prone to significantly quiet periods of form. Wolves narrowly escaped relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
that season, but their lengthy and illustrious stay in the top flight would be over before long.
In the 1964–65 season
1964-65 in English football
The 1964–65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* After a three-way tussle for the League title between Manchester United, Leeds United and Chelsea, Manchester United came out on top and were crowned champions....
, Wolves were relegated in last-but-one place. However, it was that season which saw Knowles emerge as a top class footballer. The teenager played with an arrogant swagger, finishing the season with six goals and setting up countless others. Despite his good form for Wolves, he was disappointed at the relegation and asked for a transfer. This request was rejected, allowing Knowles to build upon his success at Wolves. The departure of Stan Cullis, the man who originally gave Knowles his chance, was a factor in his request to leave Molineux. Ronnie Allen
Ronnie Allen
Ronald "Ronnie" Allen was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 276 goals. He also won five caps for England national team...
took over the job from Cullis.
In the 1965–66 season
1965-66 in English football
The 1965–66 season was the 86th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:7 October 1965: An experiment to broadcast a live game to another ground takes place...
, it quickly became apparent that Knowles was a notch above just about everyone else playing in the Second Division. Among a handful of goals, he scored two hat-tricks early on in the season against Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
and Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, making him the top scorer for the club by some way. His good form was interrupted however, as he endured the first big injury of his career. Despite missing a number of games, he managed to finish the season with 19 goals. Frustratingly for Knowles, Wolves did not manage to gain promotion that season, condemning him to another season of Second Division football. He remained at Molineux, and in the 1966–67 season
1966-67 in English football
The 1966–67 season was the 87th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Queens Park Rangers won the Football League Cup on the first occasion it was played at Wembley, coming from 2-0 down at half-time to beat West Bromwich Albion 3-2....
Wolves finished runners-up in the Second Division and achieved promotion to the First Division.
On his return to the First Division, he suffered from injury problems once again, only managing 21 appearances and eight goals. Later on in that season however, Knowles was compensated with a call up to the Under-23 England team.
In a move by FIFA to raise awareness of "soccer" in the United States, a mini-league was held in which various teams from Britain went to America to represent different states. Wolves represented Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and Knowles featured in the side as they went on to win their league. The 21-year-old Knowles managed several goals in the tournament.
The 1967–68 season
1967-68 in English football
The 1967–68 season was the 88th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition-FA Cup:...
brought about a new strike partner for Knowles, in the form of Derek "The Doog" Dougan
Derek Dougan
Alexander Derek Dougan was a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers....
. Knowles, now an established performer, performed well in the top flight with Dougan, managing to narrowly avoid relegation. Knowles managed 12 goals during the season, which led to the 22-year-old receiving three more Under-23 international caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
. With the 1970 World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
in Mexico quickly approaching, Knowles sought a move away from Wolves. His request was once again rejected by manager Allen.
In the 1968–69 season
1968-69 in English football
The 1968–69 season was the 89th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Leeds United won the League for the first time in their history, finishing six points ahead of Liverpool...
, Wolves finished 16th in the table, despite Knowles only managing nine goals. In the summer which followed, Knowles once again travelled to the United States to play in a promotional league. This time, Wolves represented Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Knowles scored five in the tournament, helping Wolves to its second state-side victory.
Retirement
Upon his return to Britain, Knowles made an announcement which saw his career take a dramatic and unexpected turn. While in Kansas he became one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and in his own words, "I shall continue playing football for the time being but I have lost my ambition. Though I still do my best on the field I need more time to learn about the Bible and may give up football." Despite this, Wolves got the 1969–70 season1969-70 in English football
The 1969–70 season was the 90th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Everton won their seventh title, finishing nine points clear of Leeds United with Chelsea in third and newly promoted Derby County in fourth...
off to a great start, winning seven out of their first eight matches. The eighth game of the season, a 3-3 draw against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, was the last game that Knowles ever played.
Knowles was now retired from football and the dream of winning a full England cap would never be fulfilled. But a succession of Wolves managers held out the hope that Knowles might one day return to the game, and he remained on contract at the club for the next 12 years. In 1982, however, new manager Graham Hawkins
Graham Hawkins
Graham Norman Hawkins is an English former football player and manager.A defender, he began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1964, before he moved on to Preston North End three years later. In seven years with Preston he made 245 league appearances, and also served as their captain...
conceded that Knowles would never return, and promptly terminated the 36-year-old's contract. 1991 saw folk musician Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
release a song which many saw as a direct reference to Knowles. The song was called "God's Footballer", from Bragg's album Don't Try This at Home.
Knowles suffered a tragedy on 30 August 1991 when his brother Cyril died of cancer aged 47.
External links
- Profile: Peter Knowles Football-England.com
- Old Gold: Peter Knowles TheWolvesSite.co.uk