DUMBARTON MAN CHARLIE FERGUSON WAS A SCOUT FOR THE STARS

Dumbarton man Charlie Ferguson was the chief scout for Sunderland FC and, when he came to the town for a few days off, he stimulated the conversation in the Glencairn Bar on Bridge Street with great stories about famous footballers such as Jim Baxter, who later starred for Rangers and and tormented the English international team when he played “keepy uppy” at Wembley Stadium. Charlie was instrumental in signing a number of local players for the Roker Park team, including Nicky Sharkey from Helensburgh, a prolific scorer for St Patrick’s High in Dumbarton as a schoolboy. Just look at the line-up below. Every one of them a star. As well as Nicky, they also include Harry Hood, the former Celtic player who played under the floodlights in a game which officially opened the floodlights for Clydebank at Kilbowie Park. I was there that night working as a copy boy for Jim Rodger, one of Scotland’s most famous sportswriters for the Daily Record and Scottish Daily Express. When we turned up the Kilbowie press box was overflowing with the reporters and there was no seat left for Jim. “That’s alright son,” he told me. “We’ll do it from the terracing.” And we did, with me running up the street to a telephone box every 20 minutes or so.”

The Sunderland fans of today remember Charlie as someone who brought success to their famous football club.

One said today: “Surely Charlie Ferguson fits the bill as our best scout ever. Brought to Roker by Alan Brown to build a youth set up in the 1950’s after the demise of the ‘Bank of England’ club and the shock of our first relegation from the top flight.
“He was with Sunderland for over 25 years, a stalwart, he had a loyal and widespread scouting network that he built and brought from Burnley, when he followed Brown to Roker.
“The Scot was well liked at Sunderland, along with fellow Scot Johnny Watters the physio.
“Charlie brought many famous youngsters to Wearside ,Charlie Hurley from Millwall, George Mulhall from Aberdeen, George Herd and later Harry Hood from Clyde, as well as many others as school boys, including Nicky Sharkey from Helensburgh and Bobby Kerr from the Vale of Leven..

Bobby Kerr from Vale of Leven captained Sunderland’s 1973 English FA Cup winning team at Wembley.

“Charlie discovered 9 of the famous 11, 1973 FA Cup Winners and brought them to Sunderland.
“He was one of a kind and a true gent and was highly respected by The Lads.”

Charles Ferguson (1910–1995) was a Scottish footballer who played as an inside forward. Ferguson spent his pre-war years with Middlesbrough, Notts County and Luton Town, playing for Arbroath, Dumbarton and Aberdeen during the Second World War and Dundee United briefly after it. Moving to North Shields for work purposes, Ferguson went on to become a scout with Burnley and Sunderland. Ferguson died in 1995 aged 84.

Happy days. Editor