{{short description|Scottish footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}} {{Use British English|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox football biography |name = Pearson Ferguson |image = |image_size = |caption = |fullname = Pearson Ferguson<ref name=Joyce/> |birth_date = 1909<ref>[https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results?search_type=people&surname=Ferguson&surname_so=exact&forename=Pearson&forename_so=starts&record_type=stat_births Statutory registers – Births – Search results], ScotlandsPeople</ref> |birth_place = Coalburn,<ref name=Joyce/> Scotland |death_date = {{death year and age|1985|1909}} |death_place = Greenock, Scotland |height = |position = Outside left |years1 = |clubs1 = Kello Rovers |caps1 = |goals1 = |years2 = 1929–1931 |clubs2 = Ayr United |caps2 = 54 |goals2 = 20 |years3 = 1931–1932 |clubs3 = Cork |caps3 = |goals3 = 21 |years4 = 1932–1933 |clubs4 = Ayr United |caps4 = 18 |goals4 = 5 |years5 = 1933 |clubs5 = Queen of the South |caps5 = 4 |goals5 = 1 |years6 = 1933–1935 |clubs6 = Carlisle United |caps6 = 68 |goals6 = 19 |years7 = 1935–1937 |clubs7 = Morton |caps7 = 39 |goals7 = 30 |years8 = 1937–1938 |clubs8= Montrose |caps8 = 17 |goals8 = 10 |years9 = 1938–1939 |clubs9= East Stirlingshire |caps9 = 29 |goals9 = 13 }} '''Pearson Ferguson''' (1909–1985) was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Scottish League for Ayr United, Queen of the South, Morton, Montrose and East Stirlingshire, for Cork in the Irish Free State League, and for Carlisle United in the English Football League. He played as an outside left.
==Life and career== Ferguson was born in Coalburn, South Lanarkshire, the younger brother of Willie Ferguson, who went on to play for Chelsea and play for and manage Queen of the South.<ref name=QoS>{{cite web |url=http://qosfc.com/new_legendsview.aspx?playerid=1055 |title=Willie Ferguson |first=Kirk |last=McLean |publisher=Queen of the South F.C |accessdate=18 February 2014}}</ref> Like his brother, Pearson began his football career with Kello Rovers,<ref name=Joyce>{{cite book |title=Football League players' records 1999 to 1939 |first=Michael |last=Joyce |year=2004 |publisher=SoccerData |place=Nottingham |page=88 |isbn=978-1-899468-67-6}}</ref> the junior team local to the family home in Kirkconnel, Dumfries and Galloway.<ref name=QoS/> He moved on to Ayr United, and was playing for that club in the First Division in the 1929–30 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/games/192911091.html |title=09 Nov 1929 Ayr United 3 Hearts 1 |publisher=London Hearts Supporters Club |accessdate=18 February 2014}}</ref>
He moved to Ireland in the 1931 close season to join Cork.<ref>{{cite news |title=New players for Cork |newspaper=Irish Times |date=24 July 1931 |page=11}}</ref> He scored in the opening match of the season as Cork came back from two goals down to secure a 3–3 draw away to Dolphin,<ref>{{cite news |title=Brilliant recovery by Cork |newspaper=Irish Times |date=24 August 1931 |page=11}}</ref> scored in the next match, a 2–2 draw with Shamrock Rovers,<ref>{{cite news |title=Draw at Cork |newspaper=Irish Times |date=31 August 1931 |page=11}}</ref> scored twice in the third, a 6–0 demolition of Jacobs,<ref>{{cite news |title=Association football |newspaper=Weekly Irish Times |date=12 September 1931 |page=3}}</ref> and in the fifth, exploited his pace to contribute four goals to a 5–3 defeat of Waterford.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ferguson's four at Waterford |newspaper=Irish Times |date=21 September 1931 |page=11}}</ref> He finished the 22-game season with 21 goals, which made him the League of Ireland's top scorer (jointly with Waterford's Jack Forster) and helped his club finish runners-up to Shamrock Rovers.<ref name="rsssftop">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/iertops.html|title=Ireland – List of Topscorers|accessdate=6 July 2016|website=RSSSF|date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/ierhist.html |title=(Republic of) Ireland League Tables |first1=Malcolm |last1=Hodgson |first2=Allard |last2=Doesburg |name-list-style=amp|date=21 November 2012 |website=RSSSF |accessdate=18 February 2014}}</ref>
Like most of the "cross-Channel" players who had played in Ireland that season,<ref>{{cite news |title=Opening league games |newspaper=Irish Times |date=20 August 1932 |page=11}}</ref> Ferguson returned home, where he rejoined Ayr United.<ref name=Joyce/> He then played five times for Queen of the South in the second half of the 1932–33 season,<ref name=QoS/> before moving south of the border to join Carlisle United of the Third Division North.<ref name=Joyce/> In the second of his two seasons in England, he was Carlisle's leading scorer, but with only eleven goals as they finished bottom of the league.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/a.woodcock/archive/1930-39.htm |title=Season-by-Season 1930–39 |work=Carlisle United Online Archive |accessdate=18 February 2014}}</ref>
Ferguson then returned to Scotland and spent four more seasons in the second division: two with Morton (plus one appearance in the top tier at the start of a third after helping them to promotion in the 1936–37 season) before moving on to Montrose then East Stirlingshire for a year apiece.<ref name=litsterprewar>{{cite journal|title=A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players|author=John Litster|publisher=Scottish Football Historian magazine|date=October 2012}}</ref>
==Honours== ;Individual *'''League of Ireland Top Scorer''': ** 1931–32<ref name="rsssftop"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{League of Ireland A Division top scorers}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Pearson}} Category:1909 births Category:1985 deaths Category:Date of birth missing Category:Date of death missing Category:Footballers from Dumfries and Galloway Category:Footballers from South Lanarkshire Category:Scottish men's footballers Category:Men's association football outside forwards Category:Scottish Junior Football Association players Category:Scottish expatriate men's footballers Category:Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Ireland Category:Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland Category:Kello Rovers F.C. players Category:Ayr United F.C. players Category:Cork F.C. players Category:Queen of the South F.C. players Category:Carlisle United F.C. players Category:Greenock Morton F.C. players Category:Montrose F.C. players Category:East Stirlingshire F.C. players Category:Scottish Football League players Category:League of Ireland players Category:English Football League players Category:20th-century Scottish sportsmen