Was messing about looking former players etc and found this. Really interesting read and unbelievably sad too
Hughie Ferguson
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Hughie FergusonPersonal informationFull nameHugh FergusonDate of birth2 March 1898Place of birthGlasgow, ScotlandDate of death9 January 1930 (aged 31)Place of deathDundee, ScotlandPlaying positionCentre forwardYouth career1914–1916Parkhead JuniorsSenior career*YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†1916–1925Motherwell288(284)1925–1929Cardiff City117(77)1929–1930Dundee17(2)Total422(363)National team1920–1922Scottish League XI3(3)* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
Hugh "Hughie" Ferguson (2 March 1898 – 9 January 1930) was aScottish footballer. He is only one of seven men in the entire history of the Football and Scottish Football Leagues to have scored 350 League goals. Despite his prolific scoring record,[1]finishing his career with a goal average of 0.855 per game,[2] he was never capped for Scotland and his winning goal for Cardiff City in the 1927 FA Cup Final is remembered more for the mistake by Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis.
Contents
Playing career
Early career
Motherwell
Cardiff City
Dundee
[*]Death[*]Family[*]Career statistics[*]Honours[*]References[*]External links
Playing careerEdit
Early career
Renowned for his modesty and sense of fair play,[2] Ferguson started his career with Parkhead Juniors in 1914. He appeared for the side in their victorious 1914–15 Scottish Junior Cup final.
Motherwell
Ferguson joined John Hunter's Motherwell for the start of the 1916–17 season (scoring both goals in the 2–2 draw with Raith Rovers on 19 August 1916). He soon established himself as a prolific goalscorer at Fir Park, becoming the top Scottish Football League goalscorer on three occasions (1917–18; 1919–20; 1920–21), scoring 111 goals in total. His 43 goals in 1921 is the second highest season total of League goals in England or Scotland before the change to the offside law in 1925.
With Motherwell, Ferguson reached the Scottish Cup quarter-finals in 1921 and 1922, the semi-finals in 1923, losing 2–0 toCeltic, and achieved third place in the League in 1920.[3]
Despite his performance, the dominance of Rangers and Dunfermline Athletic player Andy Cunningham and, later,Middlesbrough's high scoring Andy Wilson meant they were picked for Scotland ahead of Ferguson. He represented theScottish League XI three times, scoring three goals.[4]
Cardiff City
In 1925, halfway through the season and after scoring his 285th goal for Motherwell, Ferguson departed for South Wales, joining FA Cup Finalists Cardiff City for a fee 0f £5,000, just £1,000 less than the record transfer fee at the time.[1] In the previous few seasons, Cardiff had trawled far and wide for talented players and Ferguson was one of a list of notable Scots to wear the blue shirt; Scottish internationals Jimmy Blair and Jimmy Nelson had both appeared for the club. He a goalscoring debut for the club on 7 November 1925 in a 5–2 win over Leicester City.[5]
Ferguson's most successful moment in English football occurred when he appeared for Cardiff in the 1927 Cup Final againstArsenal. Having scored five times on the way to the final, in the 74th minute, collecting a throw from the right, Ferguson hurried a tame shot toward the Arsenal goal. Dan Lewis, the Arsenal goalkeeper, appeared to collect the ball but, under pressure from the advancing Len Davies, clumsily allowed the ball to roll through his grasp; in a desperate attempt to retrieve the ball, Lewis only succeeded in knocking the ball with his elbow into his own net.[6] Ernie Curtis, the 19 year old centre-wing said of the goal:
"I was in line with the edge of the penalty area on the right when Hughie Ferguson hit the shot which Arsenal's goalie ( had crouched down for a little early. The ball spun as it travelled towards him, having taken a slight deflection so he was now slightly out of line with it. Len Davies was following the shot in and I think Dan must have had one eye on him. The result was that he didn't take it cleanly and it squirmed under him and over the line. Len jumped over him and into the net, but never actually touched it."[7]Ferguson still features on the record books for Cardiff City, having scored five goals in the First Division fixture with Burnleyon 1 September 1928 and his 32 goals in all competitions in the 1926–27 season stood until Robert Earnshaw overtook it in March 2003.[2] He also scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory over the Corinthians in the 1927–28 Charity Shield and his two goals won the Welsh Cup later that same season for Cardiff against Bangor; but despite a healthy return of 77 goals during his four seasons there his days at Ninian Park were numbered.
Dundee
Ferguson returned to Scotland with Dundee in the following season for a fee of £500, but his days there were desperate; a despondent, demanding crowd seeking from the legendary goalscorer more than he could provide. He scored two goals for Dundee, before being dropped due to injury and a lack of form.
DeathEdit
Ferguson sank into depression and on 9 January 1930 committed suicide, gassing himself at Dens Park after a training session. He was aged 31, and left behind his wife Jessie and two children.[1]
FamilyEdit
Ferguson's son Jack later went on to represent Britain in water polo at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics.[8]
Career statisticsEdit
Motherwell
1916–17 - 24 League goals;
1917–18 - 35
1918–19 - 19
1919–20 - 33
1920–21 - 43
1921–22 - 32
1922–23 - 30
1923–24 - 28
1924–25 - 28
1925–26 - 12
Total 284
Cardiff City
1925–26 - 19
1926–27 - 26
1927–28 - 18
1928–29 - 14
Total 77
Dundee
1929–30 - 2; 17 appearances
Total 2
Career
1916–17 - 1929–30 363 goals.
HonoursEdit
Cardiff City
FA Cup winner: 1
1927
FA Community Shield winner: 1
1927
Welsh Cup winner: 1
1928
Welsh Cup runner-up: 1
