| Matthew Ferguson |
 Matthew Park Ferguson was born on Tuesday, 28th January, 1868, in Paisley, Renfrewshire. The forward probably joined Thistle in 1887 or 1888, having most recently been with St Mirren. Aged 20, he made his first known appearance on Saturday, 7th April, 1888, in a 3-2 friendly defeat at home to Dumbarton Athletic. That day, Matthew became a member of our scoring debutant's club. He scored the last of his 16 known goals on Saturday, 29th November, 1890, in a 6-3 friendly defeat away to Mossend Swifts. That turned out to be his last game for the club, having appeared for the Thistle on at least 28 occasions. His club-list included St Mirren and Partick Thistle.
|
| Matthew Ferguson's Summary Totals |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Competitive | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| All Games | 28 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 16 |
 The son of William Ferguson and Agnes Ferguson (née Park). At 1881, his siblings included George (14), William (10), Margaret (8) and Andrew (6). Unfortunately, Agnes was widowed early, and had to raise the children on her own, as well as looking after her own widowed father. His finest match in a Thistle shirt was at Inchview on 12th October 1889 as Partick Thistle fought from 2 goals down to defeat Glasgow Thistle by 5 goals to 2, thanks to a haul of four from Matthew! He was an engineer to trade and this interrupted his playing career before he had really got going; in the early 1890s he left for Japan, and later had spells living in China and the United States. His final few months in life were just horrific. Firstly, he lost his 57-year-old wife Margaret, who died on 17 August 1927 at Bessielea, Prestwick. His son, also called Matthew Park Ferguson, was also an engineer and also worked in China, and he died in Shanghai by accidental drowning on 13 September 1927, aged just 22. Matthew himself passed away on 26 December 1927, so in just over 4 months a family was wiped out. |
| (WS/JK) |
advertisement
Scottish referees have a rich history in international football, with the very best ranking amongst the world's greatest officials. Drew Herbertson's new book tells their long overdue story, providing biographies of all the Scots who have handled international matches. From the early pioneers when international football first started in 1872 through to the current FIFA list, “Scotland's International Football Referees” commemorates their careers and is a tribute to their achievements.
• World Cup appointments
Buy now: £13.57 (paperback) or £3.49 (kindle edition) from Amazon
• European Championship appointments
• International club and other country competitions
