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Harvey Knibbs

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Harvey Knibbs
Personal information
Full name Harvey Andrew Knibbs[1]
Date of birth (1999-04-26) 26 April 1999 (age 26)[2]
Place of birth Bristol, England[2]
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder/Forward
Team information
Current team
 Reading
Number 7
Youth career
–2015 Nottingham Forest
2015–2019 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2023 Cambridge United 121 (18)
2023– Reading 88 (25)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:14, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

Harvey Andrew Knibbs (born 26 April 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as an Attacking midfielder and forward for EFL League One club Reading.[2]

Knibbs went through the academies of Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, before starting his senior career with Cambridge United in 2019. He finished as top scorer in his debut season with Cambridge after scoring 9 goals in 31 games. He left Cambridge in 2023 following the expiry of his contract. He joined Reading later that year and quickly established himself into the team, making 53 appearances and scoring 16 times in his first season with them.

Club career

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Early career

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Knibbs was raised in Derbyshire and joined the Nottingham Forest academy at age 9.[3] He was released at age 14 before moving to the Aston Villa Academy.[3] He signed his first professional contract at the end of the 2016–17 season.[4] He was released from Aston Villa in 2019 after spending seven years in their youth system.[5][6]

Cambridge United

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In June 2019 Knibbs signed a two-year contract with Cambridge United.[7] He sustained a heel injury shortly after signing, forcing him to miss most of pre-season.[8] On 13 August, he made his debut for Cambridge in an EFL Cup match against Championship side Brentford. He scored the winning penalty as Cambridge beat Brentford 5–4 in the shootout.[9] He made his league debut on 17 August in a 2–1 win over Colchester United.[10] On his first professional start on 20 August, he scored his first senior goal in a 3–2 win over Scunthorpe United.[11] He suffered a hamstring injury on 22 February 2020, in a 0–0 draw to Plymouth Argyle, which caused him to miss the rest of the season.[12] He finished his debut season with Cambridge as the top scorer, scoring 9 goals in 31 games.[13][10]

Knibbs played in Cambridge's season opener on 12 September 2020, in a 3–0 win over Carlisle United.[14] He extended his contract in October by two years, keeping him at the club until 2023.[15] He scored his first league goal of the season on 16 January 2021 in a 1–1 draw to Colchester.[16] Knibbs struggled that season, due to the sacking of Colin Calderwood and the arrivals of Paul Mullin and Joe Ironside.[17] He finished the season with 31 appearances and 3 goals in all competitions.[18] Knibbs scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season on 31 August 2021 in a 4–1 win over Oxford United in the EFL Trophy.[19] He once again struggled for gametime, but manager Mark Bonner praised him for his conduct.[20] His first league goal of the season came on 18 January 2022 in a 3–1 win over Doncaster Rovers.[21] He finished the season with 9 goals in 47 appearances.[21] On 30 July 2022, Knibbs scored the winner in the 2022–23 season opener against MK Dons, securing a 1–0 victory.[22] He won Cambridge Player of the Month for September for three goal contributions.[23] Cambridge rejected an offer for Knibbs from Plymouth in January 2023.[24] He left the club following the expiry of his contract in June.[25] In total, he made 156 appearances and scored 26 times for Cambridge.[26][25]

Reading

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2023–24 season

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On 13 July 2023, Knibbs signed a three-year contract with Reading, their first signing following the lift of their transfer embargo.[27][28] He made his Reading debut in a 1–0 defeat to Peterborough United on 5 August.[29] His first goal came on 26 August in a 2–1 defeat to Exeter City.[30] On 10 October, he scored the first professional hat-trick of his career in an EFL Trophy match against M4 rivals Swindon Town that finished in a 5–0 win.[31] He finished his debut Reading season with 53 appearances and 16 goals in all competitions, establishing himself in the first-team.[32][33]

2024–25 season

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Knibbs started the season opener on 10 August 2024, a 1–1 draw against Birmingham City.[34] Later that month, manager Rubén Sellés revealed that Knibbs suffered a groin injury in training, and would be out for three to four weeks.[35][36] He made his return on 14 September in a 1–0 defeat to Leyton Orient, coming on as a substitute for Charlie Savage.[37] He scored his first goal of the season on 28 September, scoring the equaliser in a 2–1 win over Huddersfield Town.[38] Despite playing through a "painful" MCL injury,[39] he scored three goals in three games in November and was subsequently nominated for EFL player of the month.[40]

Reading continued to push for a position in the play-offs, and Knibbs was an important member of the team, scoring 3 goals in 5 games (in wins over Wrexham, Peterborough & Wycombe). In the process, he also became the first Reading player since Dave Kitson to score 15 goals or more in all competitions in back-to-back seasons since 2005/06.[41]

Personal life

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Knibbs' brother is international athlete Alex Knibbs, who won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the IAAF U20 World Championships.[4] Knibbs' dad, Ralph Knibbs is a former elite rugby union player for Bristol.[42]

Career statistics

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As of match played 3 May 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Cambridge United 2019–20[10] League Two 24 7 2 0 2 0 3 2 31 9
2020–21[18] 23 2 1 0 2 0 5 1 31 3
2021–22[21] League One 34 4 5 2 2 0 6 3 47 9
2022–23[43] 40 5 3 0 1 0 3 0 47 5
Total 121 18 11 2 7 0 17 6 156 26
Reading 2023–24[32] League One 45 11 2 1 2 0 4 4 53 16
2024–25[44] 43 14 2 0 1 0 2 1 47 16
Total 88 25 4 1 3 0 6 5 100 31
Career total 200 40 15 3 10 0 23 11 247 55

References

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  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Harvey Knibbs at Soccerway. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  3. ^ a b Mark Taylor (29 July 2020). "A memorable debut season leaves Harvey Knibbs craving success at Cambridge United". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  4. ^ a b Dicken, Alex (21 July 2018). "Who is Harvey Knibbs? Profiling the striker in Villa's first team". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  5. ^ "U'S NAB KNIBBS". Cambridge United F.C. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  6. ^ Gregg Evans (30 May 2019). "Confirmed: Released Aston Villa man has found himself a new club". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  7. ^ Taylor, Mark (5 June 2019). "Former Aston Villa striker Harvey Knibbs tipped to bring power to Cambridge United strikeforce". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  8. ^ Andrew Georgeson (21 August 2019). "Harvey Knibbs on a 'dream' week at Cambridge United". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  9. ^ "Brentford 1–1 Cambridge United". BBC Sport. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "Games played by Harvey Knibbs in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  11. ^ "MATCH REPORT | CAMBRIDGE UNITED 3 SCUNTHORPE UNITED 2". Cambridge United F.C. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  12. ^ Andrew Georgeson (2 March 2020). "Cambridge United striker Harvey Knibbs to miss 'a couple of weeks' with a hamstring injury". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  13. ^ "Harvey Knibbs". Reading F.C. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  14. ^ "MATCH REPORT | CAMBRIDGE UNITED 3-0 CARLISLE UNITED". Cambridge United F.C. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  15. ^ "KNIBBS EXTENDS CONTRACT WITH UNITED UNTIL 2023". Cambridge United F.C. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  16. ^ "Harvey Knibbs praises vital point for Cambridge United in draw at Colchester United". Cambridge Independent. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  17. ^ Alex Jones (4 August 2021). "Could Harvey Knibbs finally have his breakout season for Cambridge United?". Prost International. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  18. ^ a b "Games played by Harvey Knibbs in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  19. ^ Stephen Page (31 August 2021). "Cambridge United 4-1 Oxford United RECAP: U's start EFL Trophy campaign with win over fellow League One outfit". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  20. ^ Stephen Page (17 November 2021). "Cambridge United boss Mark Bonner hails Harvey Knibbs conduct after FA Cup strike against Northampton Town". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  21. ^ a b c "Games played by Harvey Knibbs in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  22. ^ Mark Taylor (30 July 2022). "Match-winner Harvey Knibbs hails perfect day as Cambridge United start League One season by beating MK Dons". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  23. ^ "Knibbs wins Love Cambridge Player of the Month". Cambridge United F.C. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  24. ^ Liam Apicella (5 January 2023). "Plymouth Argyle came up short with offer for Cambridge United attacker Harvey Knibbs". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  25. ^ a b "2023 Retained List published". Cambridge United F.C. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  26. ^ Liam Apicella (12 May 2023). "Cambridge United confirm departures of Lloyd Jones, Sam Smith and Harvey Knibbs among others while Ryan Bennett, George Thomas and club legend Harrison Dunk have been offered new contracts". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  27. ^ "Harvey Knibbs: Reading sign striker from Cambridge Utd after embargo ends". BBC Sport. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  28. ^ "Harvey Knibbs signs a three year contract with the Royals". Reading F.C. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  29. ^ "Gallery: Five debutants in Posh encounter". Reading F.C. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  30. ^ James Earnshaw (26 August 2023). "Reading FC suffer late misery in thrilling Exeter City clash". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  31. ^ James Earnshaw (10 October 2023). "Reading FC cruise to derby victory over Swindon Town". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  32. ^ a b "Games played by Harvey Knibbs in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  33. ^ James Earnshaw (16 September 2024). "Returning Reading favourite must 'fight' for start says boss". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  34. ^ "Report | Birmingham City 1-1 Reading". Reading F.C. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  35. ^ James Earnshaw (17 August 2024). "Reading FC boss on 'dominant' Wigan Athletic victory". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  36. ^ "Reading's Knibbs sidelined by groin injury". BBC Sport. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  37. ^ "Report | Reading 0-1 Leyton Orient". Reading F.C. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  38. ^ "Reading 2-1 Huddersfield". 28 September 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  39. ^ James Earnshaw (9 December 2024). "Reading FC star continues to impress despite 'painful' sprain". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  40. ^ James Earnshaw (11 December 2024). "Reading FC favourite shortlisted for monthly EFL award". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  41. ^ Preston, Andy (3 April 2025). "Harvey Knibbs becomes first Reading FC player to achieve feat since 2005/06". Wokingham Today. Retrieved 7 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  42. ^ Apicella, Liam (5 October 2022). "Cambridge United forward Harvey Knibbs reflects on his development in recent seasons after winning the Love Cambridge Player of the Month award for September". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  43. ^ "Games played by Harvey Knibbs in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  44. ^ "Games played by Harvey Knibbs in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
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