Chainat Hornbill F.C.

History

Chainat Hornbill Football Club was founded in 2009 by Anucha Nakasai, a former Thai politician. The club was placed in the best management class and developed rapidly. In the 2009 Northern Regional Division 2 Regional League, the club finished third with 39 points from 20 matches, winning 12, drawing 3 and losing 5; Sanogo Abou was top scorer with 15 goals. The club was promoted to Thai League 1 for the first time in 2012. In 2016, chairman Anucha Nakasai announced Dennis Amato as head coach. In October 2017, the club won the 2017 Thai League 2 with 67 points and was promoted to the 2018 Thai League 1. After promotion, Amato briefly left to become director of football at Ang Thong. Drago Mamić was appointed head coach but left for personal reasons. Amato returned, facing a limited squad and strict financial constraints. In 2018, the Hornbills defeated defending FA Cup champions Chiangrai United and then beat defending Thai League 1 champions Buriram United 1–0 at the Chang Arena, the first time Buriram had failed to win a league home game since Bozidar Bandovic returned as coach. The club became known as "giant-killing" (Thai: จอมล้มยักษ์). Under Amato, the team played a possession-based style, seeking to win the ball back immediately after losing it. In 2019, the Hornbills beat Muangthong United 3–0 at Khao Plong Stadium, won 2–1 against Bangkok United, and beat Buriram United 2–1.