Mick Ferguson
{{Short description|English footballer (born 1954)}}
{{Other people||Michael Ferguson (disambiguation)}}
{{use British English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Mick Ferguson
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Michael John Ferguson
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|10|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = Newcastle upon Tyne, England
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=2}}
| position = Striker
| youthyears1 = 1970–1971 | youthclubs1 = Coventry City
| years1 = 1971–1981 | clubs1 = Coventry City | caps1 = 127 | goals1 = 51
| years2 = 1981–1983 | clubs2 = Everton | caps2 = 8 | goals2 = 4
| years3 = 1982–1983 | clubs3 = → Birmingham City (loan) | caps3 = 20 | goals3 = 8
| years4 = 1983–1984 | clubs4 = Birmingham City | caps4 = 2 | goals4 = 1
| years5 = 1984 | clubs5 = → Coventry City (loan) | caps5 = 7 | goals5 = 3
| years6 = 1984–1986 | clubs6 = Brighton & Hove Albion | caps6 = 16 | goals6 = 6
| years7 = 1986–1987 | clubs7 = Colchester United | caps7 = 26 | goals7 = 11
| years8 = 1987–19?? | clubs8 = Wealdstone | caps8 = 11 | goals8 = 3
| totalcaps = 217
| totalgoals = 90
}}
Michael John Ferguson (born 3 October 1954) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent the best years of his playing career at Coventry City. Although his career was plagued by injury, he managed a decent strike-rate at most of the clubs he played for.
Biography
Ferguson was discovered by Coventry City's scouting system, broadened under Jimmy Hill's management to be able to identify young talent anywhere in the country.{{cite web |url=http://covsupport.homestead.com/academy.html |title=The talent of the academy |author=Jim Brown (Coventry City club historian) |work=CovSupport News Service |accessdate=6 September 2007}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} In his first spell at the club he scored 51 goals in 127 league games over a six-year period. In 1977, he was the top scorer with 13 league goals, but the following season he and Ian Wallace formed a devastating strike partnership scoring 37 league goals between them;{{cite web |url=http://www.free-elements.com/England/Goals/CovC/CovC1977.html |title=Coventry City |work=English Top Division Goal Scorers |accessdate=10 October 2010}} Ferguson's share was 17 from 30 games, including three hat-tricks. Ferguson was a key member of what was Coventry's most exciting top-flight team. Playing alongside Ian Wallace, Bobby McDonald, Tommy Hutchison, Terry Yorath and Graham Oakey Ferguson was often unplayable in the air, while surprisingly skilful for such a tall player on the floor. He is one of 30 players selected for Coventry City's Hall of Fame.{{cite web|url=http://www.ccfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0,,10269~1030484,00.html |title=Hall of Fame |publisher=Coventry City F.C. |date=29 May 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013031616/http://www.ccfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0%2C%2C10269~1030484%2C00.html |archivedate=13 October 2007 |url-status=dead }} During this period he was regularly considered for inclusion into the England international squad, though the call-up never came.
After an £750,000 (£500,000 and Martin O'Neill) transfer to Nottingham Forest was cancelled in late 1979 Everton paid £280,000 for him in August 1981, but little more than a year later he moved to Birmingham City, initially on loan. In those months on loan he scored enough goals to be the club's top scorer for the season, but injuries interrupted his career and he played only two more league games for them. He was allowed back to his old club Coventry City on loan in March 1984; the three goals he scored in what remained of that season were enough to save Coventry from relegation from the top flight, ironically at Birmingham's expense. He went on to play for Brighton & Hove Albion, Colchester United and finally non-league Wealdstone.{{cite book |editor-first=Tony |editor-last=Williams |title=Official Football Association Non-league Club Directory 1989 |publisher=Tony Williams |date=1988 |isbn=978-1-869833-09-1 |page=122 |chapter=GM Vauxhall Conference Diary 1987–88 |quote=September 8–14: ... Former Coventry striker Mick Ferguson joins bottom club Wealdstone from Colchester.}}{{cite book |editor-first=John |editor-last=Harman |title=Alliance to Conference 1979–2004: The first 25 years |publisher=Tony Williams |date=2005 |isbn=978-1-869833-52-7 |pages=707, 710}} Ferguson retired from playing in 1987, but remained in football, working in community development with several professional clubs.{{cite web |url=http://www.rivals.net/default.asp?sId=885&StId=204869&p=2 |title=Hall of Fame |work=Gary Mabbutt's Knee (a Coventry City fansite) |date=12 May 2000 |accessdate=7 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041014144007/http://www.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=885 |archive-date=14 October 2004}} Despite the effects of injury on Ferguson's career, he made more than 200 league appearances (mainly in the top flight), scoring more than 80 league goals.
Honours
References
General
- {{cite book | author=Matthews, Tony | title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record | year=1995 | publisher=Breedon Books | isbn=1-85983-010-2}}
- {{cite book|last=Brown|first=Jim|title=Coventry: An Illustrated History|publisher=Desert Island Books Ltd|year=2000|isbn=1-874287-36-8}}
Specific
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{NeilBrownPlayers|player1/mickferguson}}
{{Coventry City F.C. Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Mick}}
Category:Footballers from Newcastle upon Tyne
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Coventry City F.C. players
Category:Birmingham City F.C. players
Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Category:Colchester United F.C. players
Category:Wealdstone F.C. players