Mark Pearson (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Pearson | ||
| Date of birth | 28 October 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Ridgeway, Derbyshire, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1955–1957 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1963 | Manchester United | 68 | (12) |
| 1963–1965 | Sheffield Wednesday | 39 | (9) |
| 1965–1968 | Fulham | 58 | (7) |
| 1968–1969 | Halifax Town | 5 | (0) |
| ?–? | Bacup Borough | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mark Pearson (born 28 October 1939) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League as an inside forward for Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday, Fulham and Halifax Town.[2]
Born in Ridgeway, Derbyshire, Pearson joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1955 and signed professional forms two years later.[1] He made his first-team debut on 19 February 1958 as part of the makeshift side that beat Sheffield Wednesday in United's first game after the Munich Air Crash.[3] He was involved in two of the three goals, and The Times' correspondent was impressed:
But it was the performance of two young men, Cope at centre-half and the 17-year-old [sic] Pearson at inside-left, that left us rubbing our eyes in astonishment. Their maturity, polish, and skill left one wondering what other magic is hidden away in Old Trafford.[4]
Pearson, nicknamed "Pancho" due to the Mexican appearance that his sideburns gave him,[5] played for the club until 1964, making 80 appearances and scoring 14 goals, when he was sold to Sheffield Wednesday for a £17,000 fee. He did not make United's side for the 1963 FA Cup Final, where they defeated Leicester City 3-1 to clinch their first major trophy of the post-Munich era.
[1] In 1965, Pearson joined Fulham and played a pivotal role in the club's escape from relegation in the 1965–66 season. Fulham seemed doomed until a 2–0 win against Liverpool, runaway league leaders and eventual champions, in which Ian St John was sent off for punching Pearson,[6] sparked them into a sequence of 10 wins from their last 13 matches.[7] He left Fulham for Halifax Town in 1968.[2]
References
- ^ a b c "Mark Pearson". MUFCInfo. Mark Graham. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Mark Pearson". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ^ Roberts, John (27 January 2008). "United in grief - and in hope". The Observer. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ^ "Proud Achievement By Manchester United. Young Forwards Rise To The Occasion In F.A. Cup". The Times. 20 February 1958. p. 12.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Leaders Confounded And St. John Sent Off. Fulham Stop The Juggernaut". The Times. 28 February 1966. p. 4.
- ^ "Champions Rely Too Much On Hunt's Goals". The Times. 2 May 1966. p. 4.
External links
- League stats at Neil Brown's site