Gary Pearson
Personal information
Date of birth (1976-12-07)7 December 1976[1]
Place of birth Easington Lane, England
Date of death 30 June 2022(2022-06-30) (aged 45)[2]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s) Defender, midfielder
Youth career
000?–1995 Sheffield United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1996 Sheffield United 0 (0)
1996 Stalybridge Celtic
1996–1998 Gateshead 34 (3)
Spennymoor United
000?–1999 Seaham Red Star
1999–2000 Whitby Town
2000–2001 Durham City
2001 Whitby Town
2001–2004 Darlington 48 (3)
2004–2005 York City 12 (0)
2005–2006 Durham City
2006 Bedlington Terriers
2006 Gateshead 6 (0)
2006 Horden Colliery Welfare
2006–2009 Sunderland Nissan
2009–2011 Spennymoor Town
2011 Crook Town
Total 100 (6)
Managerial career
2011–2014 Crook Town
2014–2022 Ryhope Colliery Welfare
2022 Billingham Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gary Pearson (7 December 1976 – 30 June 2022) was an English professional footballer and manager. He played as a defender and a midfielder for Sheffield United, Stalybridge Celtic, Gateshead, Spennymoor United, Seaham Red Star, Whitby Town, Durham City, Darlington, York City, Bedlington Terriers, Horden Colliery Welfare, Sunderland Nissan, Spennymoor Town and Crook Town.

Playing career

Born in Easington Lane, Tyne & Wear, Pearson started his career with the Sheffield United youth system and signed a professional contract with the club on 3 July 1995.[1] After three years with United he dropped into non-League football after signing for Stalybridge Celtic on 22 March 1996.[1][3] He was with Football Conference side Gateshead for two seasons; in 1996–97 he made 34 appearances and scored two goals and in 1997–98 he made four appearances and scored one goal.[4][5] He then had spells with Spennymoor United and Seaham Red Star before joining Whitby Town in 1999 after playing for them in a pre-season friendly.[1][6][7] Pearson played for Durham City during the 2000–01 season before returning to Whitby in April 2001.[8][9]

He joined Third Division Darlington on a one-year contract with the option of another year on 6 August 2001 after a trial.[10][11] He made his debut in Darlington's 2–1 home victory over Macclesfield Town on 16 October 2001, but was substituted for Phil Brumwell in the 32nd minute.[12] Pearson impressed as a substitute in Darlington's 2–0 defeat at Peterborough United in the FA Cup on 21 January 2002, leading to a run of six matches in the team before picking up an injury.[12][13] During this period he scored his first goal for the club with a 25-yard free kick in a 3–2 home defeat to Luton Town on 26 January 2002.[12][13] He finished his first season at Darlington with 11 appearances and one goal.[12]

Pearson struggled to enter the team early in the 2002–03 season with injuries, eventually making his first appearance in a 2–0 win at Wrexham in the FA Cup on 16 November 2002.[14][15] He established himself in the starting line-up in the final third of the season and on 12 April 2003 scored his first goal of the season in a 5–1 victory over Shrewsbury Town with a 35-yard shot that made its way through a crowded penalty area.[14][15][16] He completed the season with one goal in 22 appearances.[15] Pearson was a regular for Darlington in the early stages of the 2003–04 season and scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–2 defeat at Rochdale on 30 August 2003.[1][17] Because of injury troubles he was mostly a substitute for the rest of the season, which he finished with 19 appearances and one goal.[1][17]

Pearson signed for newly relegated Conference National side York City on a one-year contract on 5 July 2004.[18] He was sent off for violent conduct in the 69th minute of York's opening match of the 2004–05 season, a 2–0 away defeat to Aldershot Town on 14 August 2004.[19] A shoulder injury kept him out of the team from early November 2004 onwards and was released by the club on 17 March 2005, although he was told he could return for pre-season.[20] He had made 13 appearances for York.[21]

He re-signed for former club Durham City in June 2005 before joining Northern League outfit Bedlington Terriers in January 2006, making his debut in a 5–1 defeat at West Auckland Town.[22][23] Pearson was re-signed by Gateshead, by this time in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, on 31 March 2006.[24] He made six appearances for Gateshead before the end of the 2005–06 season.[25] He signed for Horden Colliery Welfare as a player-coach in July 2006 and later that year was playing for Sunderland Nissan and remained with them until 2009, when the club folded.[26][27][28][29] He spent the following two seasons with Spennymoor Town.[8]

Coaching and managerial career

Pearson started the 2011–12 season as player-coach at Crook Town, before taking over as manager in December 2011.[3] He resigned in May 2014 to take over at Ryhope Colliery Welfare.[30] In 2022 he was appointed manager of Billingham Town.

Style of play

Pearson played as a centre-back and a central midfielder, being noted for his robust tackling and committed play.[1][11]

Personal life

Pearson played alongside his brother Alan during spells with Seaham Red Star and Durham City.[6][11]

Pearson died at home on 30 June 2022 at the age of 45. He had received treatment for a heart attack a couple of weeks before, and another attack was suspected.[2]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Gateshead 1996–97[4] Football Conference 30230—1[lower-alpha 1]0342
1997–98[5] Football Conference 4100—0041
Total 343300010383
Darlington 2001–02[12] Third Division 9110001[lower-alpha 2]0111
2002–03[15] Third Division 211100000221
2003–04[17] Third Division 181100000191
Total 483300010523
York City 2004–05[21] Conference National 12000—1[lower-alpha 2]0130
Gateshead 2005–06[25] NPL Premier Division 6000—0060
Career total 10066000301096
  1. ↑ Appearance in FA Trophy
  2. 1 2 Appearance in Football League Trophy

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2004). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2004/2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 317. ISBN 978-1-85291-660-2.
  2. 1 2 Kirby, Sue; Luck, Flaminia (1 July 2022). "Tributes pour in for North East football manager and ex-professional Gary Pearson after shock death aged 45". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Squad Details". Crook Town A.F.C. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Gateshead F.C. Season 1996/97". Unofficial Gateshead Football Club Statistics Database. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Gateshead F.C. 1997/98". Unofficial Gateshead Football Club Statistics Database. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  6. 1 2 "City slickers top 100 mark". Bridlington Free Press. 21 April 1999. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "1999/00 Season Archive". Whitby Town F.C. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Gary Pearson". Footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  9. ↑ "2000/01 Season Archive". Whitby Town F.C. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  10. ↑ "Bennett blasts his Quakers stars after setback". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 6 August 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 "Trialists impress Bennett". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 1 August 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Games played by Gary Pearson in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  13. 1 2 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2002). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2002/2003. Queen Anne Press. p. 323. ISBN 978-1-85291-648-0.
  14. 1 2 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 332. ISBN 978-1-85291-651-0.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Gary Pearson in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  16. ↑ "Darlington 5–1 Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 12 April 2003. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  17. 1 2 3 "Games played by Gary Pearson in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  18. ↑ "Pearson makes York switch". BBC Sport. 5 July 2004. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  19. ↑ "Aldershot 2–0 York". BBC Sport. 14 August 2004. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  20. ↑ "Pearson makes York City departure". BBC Sport. 17 March 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  21. 1 2 Batters, Dave (2008). York City: The Complete Record. Breedon Books. pp. 404–405, 418–419. ISBN 978-1-85983-633-0.
  22. ↑ "Durham sign eleven!". Non-League Daily. 12 June 2005. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  23. ↑ "Bedlington's new boy left feeling blue". Sunday Sun. Newcastle upon Tyne. 16 January 2006. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  24. ↑ "Ricco signs four on deadline day". Gateshead F.C. 31 March 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  25. 1 2 "Gateshead F.C. Season 2005/06". Unofficial Gateshead Football Club Statistics Database. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  26. ↑ "Ray Simpson's Arngrove Northern League round-up". Non-League Daily. 17 July 2006. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  27. ↑ "Arngrove Northern League". The Journal. Newcastle upon Tyne. 16 December 2006. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  28. ↑ Tyley, Julian. "Match Report". Whitley Bay F.C. Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  29. ↑ "Local footy: League boss pays tribute to defunct Nissan". Sunderland Echo. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  30. ↑ Ryhope appoint Gary Pearson as new boss ahead of Cup Final Sportsbyte Sunderland, 16 May 2014
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