Matthew Ferguson (Scottish footballer)

Matthew Ferguson (c. 1876 – 15 June 1902) was a Scottish footballer who played for Sunderland as a centre half. He made his debut for the club against Bury on 1 September 1896 in a 1–0 defeat at Newcastle Road.[1] He won the Football League Championship with Sunderland in the 1901–02 season,[2] but he died just weeks later in the summer of that year from pleuropneumonia, aged 26,[3] and ultimately missed out on gaining international caps for Scotland.[4] Through his time at Sunderland, spanning from 1896 to 1902 he made 166 league appearances, scoring 5 goals.[5] He was also remembered for keeping goal in a friendly against Tottenham on 2 January 1900 after Sunderland goalkeeper Ned Doig injured his wrist the day before.[6] A large attendance at his funeral demonstrated his popularity.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Sunderland 0-1 Bury". The Stat Cat. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
  2. ^ Sunderland AFC 1901/02, RokerPark.com
  3. ^ Two Links Broken, The Scottish Referee, 16 June 1902, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club
  4. ^ "Matthew Ferguson". A Love Supreme. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
  5. ^ Matthew Ferguson, The StatCat
  6. ^ The Prince of Goalkeepers, Doigs Den
  7. ^ Sunderland Echo (2000). "Millennium City - an Echo publication": 6. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)