{{Short description|Norwegian footballer (born 1967)}} {{About||the Norwegian ice hockey player|Erik Pedersen (ice hockey)|the Danish handball player|Erik Bue Pedersen|the Start manager|Erik Ruthford Pedersen}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}} {{Infobox football biography| name= Erik Pedersen | fullname = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1967|10|11}} | birth_place = [[Porsgrunn]], [[Norway]] | height = | position = [[Defender (football)|Left back]] | youthyears1 = | youthyears2 = | youthclubs1 = [[Storms BK|Storms]] | youthclubs2 = [[Eidanger IL|Eidanger]] | years1 = 1984–1987 | years2 = 1988–1990 | years3 = 1991–1993 | years4 = 1994 | years5 = 1994–1995 | years6 = 1996–1999 | years7 = 1999–2001 | years8 = 2002–2005 | clubs1 = [[Odd Grenland|Odd]] | clubs2 = [[Tromsø IL|Tromsø]] | clubs3 = [[Viking FK|Viking]] | clubs4 = [[Odd Grenland|Odd]] | clubs5 = [[Viking FK|Viking]] | clubs6 = [[Dundee United F.C.|Dundee United]] | clubs7 = [[Odd Grenland|Odd]] | clubs8 = [[Pors Grenland|Pors]] | caps1 = | caps2 = 59 | caps3 = 61 | caps4 = 19 | caps5 = 46 | caps6 = 63 | caps7 = 36 | goals1 = | goals2 = 9 | goals3 = 7 | goals4 = 5 | goals5 = 5 | goals6 = 0 | goals7 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 1990–1992 | nationalteam1 = [[Norway national football team|Norway]] | nationalcaps1 = 10 | nationalgoals1 = 0 }} '''Erik Stensrud Pedersen''' (born 11 October 1967) is a former [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[Football (soccer)|footballer]] who played as left back. Pedersen spent most of his career in Norway, but had a spell in [[Scotland]] with [[Dundee United F.C.|Dundee United]].
==Playing career== Pedersen played youth football for [[Storms BK|Storms]] and Eidanger before joining [[Odds BK|Odds]] in 1984. He moved to [[Tromsø IL|Tromsø]] in 1988 and then [[Viking FK|Viking]] in 1991. He made ten appearances for [[Norway national football team|Norway]] between 1990 and 1992 and won the [[1991 Tippeligaen]] with Viking, but his career began to be disrupted by injuries. Pedersen rejoined Odds (now known as Odd Grenland) for a year in 1994 before returning to Viking.
On 26 October 1996, Pedersen appeared as a trialist for [[Dundee United F.C.|Dundee United]] in a [[Scottish Football League Premier Division|Scottish Premier Division]] match against [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|Hearts]], subsequently signing a contract with the club.<ref name=DUFC>{{cite web|title=Erik Pedersen|url=http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?pg=518|work=Dundee United F.C. official website|access-date=29 April 2014}}</ref> He quickly became a cult hero with United supporters, playing in all but one of the remaining fixtures of the [[1996–97 Dundee United F.C. season|1996–97 season]] and helping the club to a third-placed finish in the league.<ref name=DUFC /> In November 1997, Pedersen collected a runners-up medal in the [[Scottish League Cup]] when he played in Dundee United's [[1997 Scottish League Cup Final|3–0 final defeat]] against [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]].<ref name=DUFC /> After an injury-hit third season in Scotland, during which he made only eight appearances, he left United when his contract expired.<ref name=DUFC /> Although Pedersen's time in Scotland was relatively short, his popularity was such that he was inducted into the Dundee United Hall of Fame in 2011. His own affection for United is demonstrated by a tattoo of the club badge.<ref name=DUFC />
Returning to Norway in 1999, Pedersen joined Odd Grenland for a third time. He won his second major trophy with them in 2000 when Odd defeated Viking 2–1 in the [[2000 Norwegian Football Cup Final|Norwegian Cup final]]. When he was not offered a new contract by Odd for 2002, he joined [[Pors Grenland]], playing for their first team until 2005.
==Honours==
===Club=== ; [[Viking FK|Viking]]: * [[Tippeligaen]]: 1991
; [[Odds BK|Odd Grenland]]: * [[Norwegian Football Cup]]: 2000
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Soccerbase}}
{{Dundee United F.C. Hall of Fame}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedersen, Erik}} [[Category:1967 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Norwegian men's footballers]] [[Category:Norway men's international footballers]] [[Category:Odds BK players]] [[Category:Tromsø IL players]] [[Category:Viking FK players]] [[Category:Dundee United F.C. players]] [[Category:Pors Fotball players]] [[Category:Footballers from Porsgrunn]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland]] [[Category:Norwegian expatriate men's footballers]] [[Category:Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland]] [[Category:Eliteserien players]] [[Category:Norwegian First Division players]] [[Category:Scottish Premier League players]] [[Category:Scottish Football League players]] [[Category:Men's association football full-backs]] [[Category:20th-century Norwegian sportsmen]]