Making son shine is key to Knockaert
IF ONLY getting a regular starting place in the Brighton side was as easy for Anthony Knockaert as keeping his footballmad son happy is proving to be.
A week after handing four-year-old Ilyan a souvenir shirt from Chelsea star N’Golo Kante, Knockaert scored the goal he was under orders to get to help Brighton into the FA Cup quarter-finals.
It came on a rare start for the French winger who admitted his frustration at not being a regular in the Seagulls first XI.
Knockaert, 27, celebrated his opener against Derby by blowing kisses and making a heart gesture towards his special visitor and said: “My little boy was in the stand so it’s a great moment for me and my family. I was really delighted for him to see me score because when I left this morning he asked me to score.
“He doesn’t come to every home game, just when he is on school holidays. He is in school in France.
“He loves football, he knows every player. His favourite is Messi. Last week I brought him a Kante shirt so he was buzzing. Because he doesn’t really understand everything, he thinks I can score every game.
“I’m saying to him that’s not always as easy as it seems. He asks me why am I not starting. I explain to him it’s football and I will play a lot of games.”
Once a regular and Brighton’s player of the year in their promotion-winning season, Knockaert’s only starts in 2019 have come in the FA Cup. His last in the Premier League was in mid-December.
Knockaert, who lost his father Patrick in November 2016 and went through a divorce the following summer, sparking a battle with depression, said: “It’s always frustrating but I’m still young and have a lot of games to play in my career but I put things in perspective and try to keep smiling.
“With the past I have had, also there are worse things in life. The most important thing for me is my family and as long as they are healthy.”
Jurgen Locadia put Brighton 2-0 ahead before Ashley Cole’s late consolation – his first FA Cup goal.
Derby manager Frank Lampard believes his team’s cup exit has given them “clarity” for the rest of the season.
The Rams are seventh in the table and Lampard said: “We mustn’t forget our bread and butter is the Championship and we are in a position now where we are fighting with a lot of teams for those top spots and the play-off spots.”
BRIGHTON (4-5-1): Button; Bruno, Duffy, Burn, Bernardo; Knockaert, Bissouma (Gross 86), Stephens, Kayal, Jahanbakhsh; Locadia (Gyokeres 81). Booked: Bruno, Bissouma. Goals: Knockaert 33, Locadia 45.
DERBY (4-4-2: Roos; Bogle, Keogh, Tomori, Malone (Cole 45,); Huddlestone; Waghorn, Bryson, Wilson, Holmes (Marriott 45); Nugent (Jozefzoon 73). Booked: Tomori, Malone, Wilson. Goal:
Cole 81.
Referee: D Coote (Notts).