Glenn Ferguson

Last updated

Glenn Ferguson
Personal information
Full name Glenn William Ferguson
Date of birth (1969-07-10) 10 July 1969 (age 55)
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1987–1990 Ards 82 (23)
1990–1998 Glenavon 363 (227)
1998–2009 Linfield 515 (285)
2009–2011 Lisburn Distillery 80 (28)
Total1040(563)
International career
1991–2000 Irish League XI 4 (2)
1997–1998 Northern Ireland B 2 (0)
1999–2001 Northern Ireland 5 (0)
Managerial career
2011–2016 Ballymena United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Glenn Ferguson (born 10 July 1969) is a Northern Irish former football player and manager.

Contents

Ferguson amassed over 1,000 domestic appearances in a career where he played for Ards, Glenavon, Linfield and Lisburn Distillery, and scored a total of 563 goals, placing him 2nd behind Jimmy Jones (648) on the list of all-time goalscorers in Northern Irish football. [1] He was also capped 5 times by Northern Ireland. In his 24-year career, Ferguson won 31 winner's medals. [2]

He also had a five-year managerial spell with Ballymena United, where he twice won the County Antrim Shield.

Early life

Glenn was born on 10 July 1969 in the Ulster Hospital Dundonald to Thomas and Ida Ferguson and is the youngest of their three children.

Records

Nicknamed "Spike", during his playing career, he played for Ards and Glenavon before joining Linfield in January 1998 for an Irish League record transfer fee of £55,000; this record was surpassed with Jamie McGonigle's move to Crusaders in August 2019 for £60,000. [3]

He is Linfield's top scorer in European competition with 5 goals: Ferguson opening his European account with a consolation goal as Linfield were beaten 5-1 at the Makario Stadium in the 1998–99 UEFA Cup. The following week he netted again in the home leg. Ferguson netted twice against FC Haka in the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League and his fifth and final goal in European competition was against Stabæk Fotball in the 2002–03 UEFA Cup.

On 1 December 2006, he scored his 226th goal for Linfield, which took his career total to 476, making him the third highest scorer in the history of the local game, behind only Jimmy Jones and Joe Bambrick.

On 2 February 2008, during the CIS Cup Final, Ferguson came off the bench with 20 minutes remaining with Linfield trailing 2–1 to Crusaders. He scored twice in the last five minutes to turn around the match. Linfield won 3–2. These were his 500th and 501st goals in Irish Football, and his 250th and 251st for Linfield. On 9 February 2008 he became the all-time top goalscorer in the Irish Cup with two strikes against Bangor. [4] Ferguson scored his 277th goal in his 500th game for Linfield in a 4–1 win over Coleraine on 13 December 2008. [5]

Ferguson was released by Linfield in May 2009, having scored 285 goals in 515 appearances for the club. [6] He signed for Lisburn Distillery, where he would finish his career. [7]

On 28 August 2010, he played his 1,000th senior match in Northern Ireland – in Lisburn Distillery's 2–1 win over Newry City. [8] Ferguson made his final career appearance on 30 April 2011, playing for Lisburn Distillery in their 4–3 home win over Cliftonville. [9]

International career

Having been previously capped for Northern Ireland B, Ferguson was first called into the Northern Ireland squad late in 1998. He made his debut against Canada on 7 April 1999 but did not play again until 2001. In all he won five caps, and represented the Irish League representative team four times, scoring twice.

Managerial career

Ferguson was appointed manager of Ballymena United on 30 December 2011. His first game in charge was against Linfield F.C. on 8 January 2012, and won his first trophy as manager when the Sky Blues defeated Ferguson's former club Linfield in the County Antrim Shield final on 27 November 2012. Ferguson led Ballymena United to the Irish Cup final for the first time since winning the cup in 1989 where they were beaten 2–1 in the final by Glenavon. Ferguson was sacked in 2016 and replaced by David Jeffrey.[ citation needed ]

Managerial statistics

TeamNationFromToRecord
GWDLFAGDWin %
Ballymena United Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 30 December 20116 March 2016196793978325343-1840.31
Total196793978325343-1840.31
As of 8 May 2023

Honours

Player

Glenavon

Linfield

Lisburn Distillery

Manager

Ballymena United

Individual

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glentoran F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club based in East Belfast, Northern Ireland, that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882 and has since won more than 130 major honours, making them one of the most successful teams in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymena United F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Ballymena United Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Northern Ireland. Based in Ballymena, County Antrim, the team competes in the NIFL Premiership and plays home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds. The club has been managed by former captain Jim Ervin since 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crusaders F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Crusaders Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, is based in north Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dungannon Swifts F.C.</span> Football club in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland

Dungannon Swifts Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club playing in the NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1949, has risen from the Mid-Ulster league to the top tier in Northern Ireland since its election to the Irish League First Division in 1997. Dungannon earned promotion from Irish League First Division to the Premier Division in the 2002–03 season.

Robert Wright "Roy" Walker is a football manager and former player. His most recent job was as manager of NIFL Premiership side Ballymena United.

The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Football Association, often plus intermediate teams who qualify via the Steel & Sons Cup, depending on the numbers required. For the 2010–11 and 2011-12 seasons, only the winners took part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Hamilton (footballer, born 1980)</span> Northern Irish footballer (born 1980)

Gary Hamilton is a Northern Irish footballer and former manager who plays for Mid-Ulster Football League side Hill Street FC. Hamilton was player-manager of NIFL Premiership side Glenavon from 2011 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Coates (footballer)</span> Northern Irish footballer (born 1985)

Colin Coates is a semi-professional footballer from Northern Ireland who plays as a defender for Ballymena United.

George O'Boyle is a Northern Irish former professional footballer and now manager.

Mark Dickson is a former semi-professional footballer from Northern Ireland. He began his football career as a trainee with Northampton Town, for whom he made one first-team appearance in the Football League Trophy, before returning to his native country, where he played for Newry Town, Larne, Linfield, Crusaders and Donegal Celtic. He won the Irish League and Cup double in successive seasons with Linfield, and scored the winning goal for Crusaders in the 2008–09 Irish Cup Final.

Martin "Marty" Quinn is a former Irish League footballer and a current manager. Quinn is well known for leading Cliftonville to become Irish League champions in 1998, and leading Coleraine to Irish Cup glory in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Waterworth</span> Northern Irish footballer

Andrew Waterworth is a former footballer from Northern Ireland who was most recently the interim manager of the Northern Ireland women's national team.

Stephen John Baxter is a Northern Irish football manager and retired footballer. He is currently manager of NIFL Premiership team Carrick Rangers. Baxter is known for his time at Crusaders, where he had two spells as a player, and served as manager for 19 years between 2005 and 2024.

The 2006–07 Irish Premier League was the 106th edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Northern Irish football, and the 4th edition in its current format since its inception in 2003.

The 2009–10 IFA Premiership was the 2nd season of the IFA Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland, and the 109th season of Irish league football overall.

The 2010–11 IFA Premiership was the 3rd season of the IFA Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland, and the 110th season of Irish league football overall.

The 2011–12 IFA Premiership was the 4th season of the IFA Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland, and the 111th season of Irish league football overall.

The 2013–14 NIFL Premiership was the 6th season of the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland, the 113th season of Irish league football overall, and the 1st season of the league operating as part of the newly created Northern Ireland Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Football League</span> Association football league in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Football League, also known as the Irish League, is the national football league of Northern Ireland. The Irish League was originally formed in 1890, with the league in its current format created in 2013 to assume independent collective management of the top three levels of the Northern Ireland football league system; namely the Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate League.

David Cushley is a Northern Irish semi-professional footballer who plays as a forward for NIFL Premiership side Carrick Rangers.

References

  1. "Glenn Ferguson eyes Ballymena County Antrim Shield success". 16 November 2012 via www.bbc.co.uk.
  2. "Glenn Ferguson". Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  3. "Crusaders' move for Jamie McGonigle breaks Irish League transfer record". Belfasttelegraph. Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  4. "Welcome to Linfield Football Club". Archived from the original on 16 March 2008.
  5. "Welcome to Linfield Football Club". Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2008. Official Linfield Website (15 December 2008)
  6. "Glenn Ferguson - A fantastic Linfield career". Linfield F.C. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  7. "Distillery win race for Ferguson". 29 May 2009. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2021 via news.bbc.co.uk.
  8. "Lisburn Distillery 2-1 Newry City". 28 August 2010. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021 via news.bbc.co.uk.
  9. "Lis. Distillery 4-3 Cliftonville". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  10. "Northern Ireland - List of Topscorers". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  11. "Irish League Footballing Greats: Ulster Footballer of the Year Award Winners". 19 September 2007. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  12. "Irish League Footballing Greats: Northern Ireland Football Writers' Player of the Year". 19 September 2007. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  13. "Irish League Footballing Greats: Northern Ireland PFA Player of the Year". 19 September 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2008.