Career
He is most well known for his spell as manager at Sunderland A.F.C.
Already at the club as a coach, he succeeded caretaker Billy Elliott as manager in the summer of 1979. Most supporters believed that Knighton and Clark had formed a talented managerial partnership and had been treated in a highly unjust manner by Cowie. Knighton was succeeded at Sunderland by Mick Docherty on a caretaker basis.
Knighton went on to manage Leyton Orient.
He also went on to manage Trowbridge Town and Portishead Football Club
Ken left football in the "80s and went on to develop a career in the telecommunication industry. Ken held sales management positions with General Electric Company-Plessey Telecommunications (GPT) and Cable and Wireless.