The 1930/31 – Alliance League campaign commenced at Rugby Park on Saturday, 9 August 1930, John partnering a young Jock Morrison at full-back in the following team which defeated Kilmarnock 4-2.
Ewing; Jock Morrison & John Ferguson;
Joe Buchanan, Denis Currie & Tom McCann;
Bertie Thomson, Hugh Smith, Joe Cowan, Joe McGhie & Peter Kavanagh.
Just 48 hours later, John was again at left-back as Willie Maley took a team to School Loan Park, Denny to face a combined select from Denny Hibs and Dunipace Juniors, who won 3-1. The proceeds of that match, around £25, went to St Alexander’s Church Extension Fund.
As with the goalkeeper who played at Kilmarnock on Saturday, known only as Ewing, I have no information on the man between the sticks that evening, his surname being McGuire. The full line-up was as follows.
McGuire; Jock Morrison & John Ferguson;
Joe Buchanan, James Gallagher & Chic Geatons;
Bertie Thomson, Hugh Smith, Joe Cowan, Willie Hughes & Peter Kavanagh.
On 11 October 1930, as Celts prepared for a Glasgow Cup final with Rangers, it was reported in the Edinburgh Evening News that the club had issued a circular to English sides alerting them to the availability of three players pictured together in the back row of that 2nd XI photo, “D. McCallum, a forward, J. Gallacher, centre-half and J. Ferguson, half or full-back. The Parkhead management explain that they are overstaffed.”
That story was followed up in the Sunday Post the next day.
“A sign of the times is Celtic’s offer for transfer of D. McCallum, J. Gallacher and J. Ferguson. Celtic have got together a winning combination, and realising, apart altogether from cost, the demoralising effect of keeping young players idle, are willing to release these lads for reasonable fees.”
Responses were swift, this from the Liverpool Evening Express of Thursday, 16 October 1930.
“Glasgow Celtic have received English offers for three players whom they have put on the transfer list. One of the English clubs is in Lancashire, another in Wales, and a third in London. McCallum (outside left), Ferguson (left half) and Gallacher (centre half) can be had for £1,500. Celtic paid no transfer fee for any of them. They were reared in Celtic’s nursery.”
Denis McCallum moved to Dundee United on loan at the end of the month and John agreed to move to Belfast Celtic on a temporary transfer around the same time. James Gallacher also joined the Belfast Celts on Friday, 7 November 1930, making his debut in a 4-1 defeat at Ballymena the following day, but it was reported in the Sunday Post the next week that John Ferguson was suffering from cartilage trouble and would not be available for Rovers’ Irish Cup ties.
In fact, despite a fairly extensive search I can find no trace of John playing in a competitive match for Belfast Celtic. It appears that the injury may have caused him to stay in Glasgow. In the Sunday Post of 26 July 1931, this article appears under the heading ‘IRELAND CALLING.’
“An Irish Free State club will be represented in the West this week. Two of the players in their eye are Ferguson (Celtic) and Burke (Airdrieonians). The first-named is a centre-half, who though two years at Parkhead, got very few chances, being off for a long period through injury.”
As a very occasional article writer for the Star and a Dalmuir man, this article was ( almost literally ) right up my street. Thank you
.
Cheers, Eugene. Much appreciated. There is a further development on that story, just yesterday, so watch this space!
Nice read Matt, I love reading these stories on lesser known players in the hoops and the thought that my Da may have heard or read about them at the time.
Cheers, Tam. That’s very kind of you. Yes it’s important that these stories are discovered and shared. I actually found out some more detail on this story yesterday so watch this space!