I will not retire yet – Knight

CINDERFORD captain Paul Knight says he will not hang up his boots despite suffering a serious knee injury.

Scrum-half Knight snapped the anterior cruciate ligament, tore the posterior cruciate ligament and dislocated his knee in the narrow 21-20 defeat at Redruth on Saturday.

The former Sale Shark and Birmingham and Solihull captain is looking at a period of nine months on the sidelines but Knight says he will be back.

“I have to go under the knife and see what the consultants say but I would expect to be out for six to nine months,” said Knight.

“I spoke to Bryan Redpath about it at Gloucester and he said professional players that get physiotherapy every day are expected to be out for six to eight months but they get treatment every day.

“So for a player like me I would expect to be out for nine months so I should hopefully be back next December.

“I am gutted because the team is starting to click now and are playing well.

“But I will be back hopefully fitter and stronger.

“Once the swelling goes and I get a bit of movement back it will be nice

“At the moment it is still a bit sore.

“It is just one of those things in life that happens.”

Knight will miss the visit of National One’s second-placed team London Scottish to Dockham Road tomorrow.

The Foresters were hitting a bit of form after winning four out of five before Saturday with Knight and New Zealand fly-half Matty James looking good.

Scrum-half Danny Pointon is most likely to fill Knight’s boots but with the captain out for such a long time he says the rest of the young squad have to step up now.

“As a leader it is my job to get the boys going,” he added.

“Hopefully it won’t affect the boys too much and Danny can come in and pick up from exactly where I left off.

“I am the leader and they all respect me and do what I say.

“Players have to take responsibility for themselves now and step up and become men.

“I might be hanging up my boots in two years so they cannot rely on me all the time.

“They have to do it themselves at some point.”

Source:thisisgloucestershire

Knight out for rest of the season

PAUL Knight faces nine months out of action, but insists Cinderford haven’t seen the back of him.

The former England Counties, Sale, Gloucester and Birmingham scrum-half suffered a dislocated knee and also snapped the anterior cruciate ligament away at Redruth on February 20.

The Cinderford skipper also sustained cartilage damage.

The sickening injury happened just four minutes into the National League One match.

Knight previously pulled a hamstring in the pre-match warm-up but ruled himself fit to play.

He said: ”I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, but the injury happened when I was running with no one near me.

“It’s a bit of a nightmare but I’m determined to carry on playing. I’ll work hard during the next off-season and try and keep my head up.

“Danny Pointon and Sam Arnott (the two men most likely to replace Knight in the first-team) already know I’m coming back.

“I’ll try and stay involved but I get frustrated watching. Things were just starting to click and I was enjoying playing with Matt James.”

Knight, 33, a builder by trade, expects to be off work for around 10 days.

He has been plagued with knee injuries for several years and has already missed chunks of this season because of the problem.

Source:thisisgloucestershire

Cinderford players must earn their shirts

CINDERFORD skipper Paul Knight says the players must earn their shirts more than ever now thanks to the healthy competition for places at the club.

At fly-half alone new signing, New Zealander Matty James, must fight it out with Tim Stevenson who is now back from his summer shoulder surgery.

While Knight has to battle Danny Pointon for the nine jersey, another new man, Nevaro Codlin, will fight it out for one of the spots on the wing.

“Tim Stephenson played for the second team last week on his way back and he kicked all his goals,” Knight said.

“Danny Trigg is back as well and with Nev Codlin there too we have got five or six players fighting for each position.

“It is going to get people playing better and it is a good thing for the club because they have to earn the shirt.

“We have got Tim and Matt for fly-half then there is Danny and me for scum-half which makes me have to play better as well.”

The Foresters welcome National Two whipping boys Manchester to Dockham Road this week looking to repeat their 93-3 drubbing at Grove Park earlier in the season.

The Lancashire outfit, who were relegated from the old National One last season, have lost every match so far this season and average conceding 90 points a game.

But Knight knows the players must not underestimate their opponents because they ran fifth placed Wharfedale pretty close two weeks ago when they lost 45-23.

“Wharfedale struggled a little bit against them the week before and I do not know if that was because they had five weeks off or because Manchester had recruited you do not know but on paper we can not take them lightly,” Knight added.

“It is always a big boost to your confidence that you put 93 points on someone but it will not be an easy game.”

Unfortunately Adam Nicholls is a doubt for this weekend but James should get a start with the standard of the opposition and Knight says it will take time for him to bed in.

“He came on for the last 20 minutes last week and he looked a bit nervous but he is just getting to know the calls and he has been training for the last five weeks so it will be a good game for him to start,” Knight said.

Source:thisisgloucestershire

Cinderford captain Knight confident of return

CINDERFORD captain Paul Knight is confident of being fit for their National One clash with Tynedale at Dockham Road tomorrow.

Scrum-half Knight has been absent for the last three weeks because of a knee injury and missed the Foresters’ 25-21 defeat to Stourbridge and 3-0 loss at Newbury Blues.

But the former Birmingham and Solihull captain is hoping to be in contention for this week against a side nine points ahead of them in ninth.

“It is not too bad, I will have a fitness test on it but I had said three weeks originally,” Knight said.

“On Tuesday I did some running in straight lines but it is a lot different when you are twisting and turning in the rain but I am pretty confident of being fit.”

After a poor start to the season, during which they lost their first five games, Cinderford appeared to be back on track after chalking up three straight wins.

But they have now lost three matches in a row and sit 14th out of 16 teams.

Nearly all of the rugby leagues up and down the country took a break from playing last weekend and Knight says it should have done the Cinderford players some good.

“It is maybe a good thing because all the boys can recover if they have any little knocks,” he added.

“They can sit back and have a think about why we are in this situation and what we need to do and have a look at the table and if we can just get back to training and get back to basics.

“We know we should be winning these games but we just have to actually go out and win them.”

With Knight likely to return this week the same can not be said for head coach Phil Greenaway who had been playing well at fly-half.

Greenaway suffered two broken ribs and a punctured lung against Newbury and Knight will be glad to see him back, albeit in the dugout.

“Phil is not doing too bad now, I went up to see him last week and he is out of hospital,” Knight said.

“He should be back on the sidelines but I do not think he will play again for the rest of this season because he was in a pretty bad way.”

Knight targeting quick return

CINDERFORD skipper Paul Knight has set his sights on a return to action in their home game with Tynedale on Saturday, November 28.

The Foresters’ scrum-half damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee last season and has been soldiering on ever since but he missed the 25-21 defeat by Stourbridge at Dockham Road last Saturday.

Time appears to have finally taken its toll on the former Pertemps Bee and Sale Shark with a four-week spell on the sidelines expected now.

“I have to go in for another scan but I think I may have done the cartilage so it is going to be four weeks out,” he said.

“If I have to have it done hopefully it is nothing major.

“I did the ACL last season but rested it and came straight back and only had a week off.

“It hasn’t been sorted for a while and I’ve been strapping it up and taking painkillers.

“My body has told me to have a rest and get it sorted so it’s a bit gutting.

“Hopefully if there is a tear they can get in and get it sorted but I am targeting the Tynedale game at home.”

It is not all bad news for Cinderford on the injury front as Knight’s brother Dave made his first appearance of the season in last weekend’s defeat as a late substitute.

Source: thisisgloucestershire

He came on for the last 25 minutes at full-back but was unable to stop Cinderford from slipping to their second National One defeat in a row.

But brother Paul is glad to see his younger sibling back in a Cinderford shirt after so long out with work commitments.

“It was his first game after being at work for four or five months with a new contract so it is good to see him back,” added the skipper.

“Hopefully he can perform like he did last season, get his match fitness back and play like he did last year.”

The Foresters will aim to avoid a repeat of last weekend when careless mistakes and concentration lapses cost them.

And with a tough trip to one of the teams relegated from the division above tomorrow, Newbury Blues, the captain is demanding a better showing.

He said: “It will be tough because they are still not a bad side. They have kept hold of some of the players from last season and got some youngsters in.

“It is very frustrating, people were not stickling to the game plan and missing tackles.

“We can’t miss tackles otherwise people will score tries against us – it doesn’t matter what level you play.”

Dave Knight back for Stourbridge

SKIPPER Paul Knight is injured for Cinderford’s home clash with Stourbridge on Saturday (3pm).

Knight has a knee injury.

Sam Arnott comes into the side at scrum-half, with Danny Pointon starting at fly-half. There’s good news for the Foresters though, because Dave Knight returns for his first game of the season. Dave replaces Ali Bressington at full-back.

Paul Boston, a try scorer against London Scottish last week, starts on the right wing in place of Reuben Haile, while Adam Nicholls is back in the back-row.

Coach Phil Greenaway said: “There are enough senior players in the team with people like Dave Bufton, George Evans and Dewi Scourfield, so the absence of Paul should not have too big an impact.”

Cinderford’s line-up: D Knight, P Boston, L Plummer, D Scourfield, R Winchle, D Pointon, S Arnott, J Smart, N Matthews, A Deacon, D Bufton, C Jones, A Nicholls, C McNeil, G Evans. Reps: P Kennedy, A Duncan, M Wilcox, R Haile & one other.

Backs are finally clicking – Knight

SKIPPER Paul Knight says Cinderford’s back-line is finally starting to click.

The Foresters lost virtually an entire back division over the summer through injuries, departures or unavailability and it has taken time for the new batch to gel.

But after running in 16 tries last week at National One whipping boys Manchester, Knight says the young lads are beginning to impress.

“We are starting to come together,” said the scrum-half.

“We have a young back line and it has taken them a lot of time to come together and play to that level of rugby.

“They are all young lads and they have only really played colt’s rugby before, so they are not used to playing men’s rugby

“We have always had the confidence there and it is just that we have not been finishing games off.

“We have always been there or thereabouts and then fallen away.

“I think we could have scored more than 16 tries against Manchester and it will give them confidence to score some tries.”

The Manchester massacre was Cinderford’s first win of the season after four consecutive defeats and Knight hopes the win may give them the confidence to kick on against Otley at Dockham Road tomorrow.

It is no coincidence that head coach Phil Greenaway’s decision to play himself at fly-half has resulted in the back-line’s improved performances.

Teenage wingers Reuban Haille and Robert Winchle have looked threatening out wide while battering ram, 19-year-old Luke Plummer, has grown in confidence at outside centre.

Add Knight and Greenaway’s half-back experience to Mr Reliable Dewi Scourfield at inside centre and Ali Bressington’s deadly boot at full-back and the team is starting to look a lot more dangerous.

Knight said: “It is going to be a tough game against Otley. I have played against them for years and they have always had a big pack.”

Knight is a doubt for the game because of a hand infection but he hoped to be fit to play.

Knight: I feel sorry for Manchester

National League One

Manchester 3

Cinderford 93

CINDERFORD gained their first league win of the season, but skipper Paul Knight admitted he felt sorry for Manchester.

The cash-strapped hosts have now conceded 698 points in just six matches and are playing for survival rather than league points.

Knight said: “I’ve played at Manchester quite a few times over the years and I’ve always had hard games there. They’ve still got a nice clubhouse and a decent set-up.

“To be honest, we should have scored 150 points.

“It’s not that they haven’t got any good players, they just don’t have a gameplan. They don’t know how to play rugby at this level.

“It was a weird afternoon, more like a training game. It allowed us to try a few things that we wouldn’t normally try.”

Cinderford scored 15 tries in total, with Knight bagging three of them in the first-half before making way for Danny Pointon.

Dewi Scourfield, Will Foden, George Evans, Adam Nicholls, Reuben Haile and Chris Jones also touched down in the first-half as Cinderford went in 59-0 up.

Coach Phil Greenaway rang the changes at the interval but Cinderford continued to dominate.

Winger Haile added three more scores with Luke Plummer and lock Dave Bufton also crossing.

Ali Bressington kicked nine conversions.

Knight added: “We’ve got a bigger game against Otley this week but I’m still confident we’ll finish in mid-table.”

Cinderford: Ali Bressington, Rob Winchle, Luke Plummer, Dewi Scourfield, Reuben Haile, Phil Greenaway (rep Mike Wilcox 53), Paul Knight (capt, rep Danny Pointon 40), Phil Kennedy, Nigel Matthews (rep Chris Hall 66), Andy Deacon (rep Joe Smart 40), Chris Jones, Dave Bufton, Adam Nicholls (rep Chris McNeil 40), Will Foden, George Evans.