Michael John Ferguson (born 3 October 1954) is an English former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
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
James William Thomas Hill, Order of the British Empire, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English football in England, footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including pla ...
's management to be able to identify young talent anywhere in the country. 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; Ferguson's share was 17 from 30 games, including three
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
s. 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.
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
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
, 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. Ferguson retired from playing in 1987, but remained in football, working in community development with several professional clubs.
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
* with Coventry City
** Club's top league scorer 1977.
** Hall of Fame
[
* with Birmingham City
** Club's top league scorer 1982.
]
References
General
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*
Specific
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Mick
1954 births
Living people
Footballers from Newcastle upon Tyne
English men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Coventry City F.C. players
Everton F.C. players
Birmingham City F.C. players
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Colchester United F.C. players
Wealdstone F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players