Pearson: John Stuart (John)

1987-1991 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Sheffield: 01-09-1963

Debut: v Blackburn Rovers (h): 24-01-1987

6’2” 13 st 1lb (1987)

He joined Sheffield Wednesday in 1979 from Wisewood School and turned professional in May 1981, scoring on debut and won England Youth honours in 1981 and 1982. He was often used as a substitute by the Owls as his record of twenty-four goals from sixty-four starts and forty-one appearances from the bench shows. In May 1985 he was sold to Charlton Athletic for £100,000 and finished as top scorer in his first season with fourteen goals from forty-two starts, as the Valiants won promotion to Division One. However it was back to the old scenario the following season when ten starts and nine substitute appearances yielded just one goal. Pearson was captured by Leeds from the Addicks in January 1987 for £72,000 and faced his former colleagues in the end of season Play-offs. Although it took him fifteen games to open his account for Leeds, his aerial ability created chances for others, however, he lost form in 1987-88 but rejected a move to Shrewsbury Town in November 1987. A tall ungainly target man, who lacked pace and general manoeuverability, his main attribute was his ability to use his height to stand on tip toes and divert the ball into the path of others. He holds the record number of substitute appearances for Leeds United but had to be content with largely reserve team football. Not a noted goalscorer, as his record indicates, he did once score a hat-trick for Leeds in a 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United at Elland Road on 8th March 1988. Pearson was loaned to Rotherham United in March 1991, where he scored five times in just eleven starts, before joining Barnsley for £135,000 in July of the same year. Injury meant that he did not do himself justice and after just one goal in eight starts and two from the bench, he went on loan to Hull City in January 1993. He started fifteen times for the Tigers without finding the net once. On his return to Oakwell he did find the net on three occasions from twenty-one starts and one game from the bench before joining Carlisle United on a free transfer in August of that year. He was not a success at Brunton Park either, failing to score in five starts and three games from the bench. A qualified coach, he had spells at Mansfield Town, with two substitute appearances without scoring in November 1994, and Cardiff City, with twelve starts without a goal in February 1995, before succumbing to a neck injury and giving up full-time football. He had a loan spell at his first club in 1995 but for just one game in a European tie, but never took the field for the Owls in a League game. He turned down a move to Chester City and then spent a month on loan to Merthyr Town and had time at Stalybridge Celtic and Ashfield United before joining Unibond League club Chorley in September 1995, combining playing with a job as an insurance salesman. He later had spells at Hallam and then Sheffield, where he was the manager for three years from 1997 for England’s oldest club. He owned a café near to Hillsborough and also a catering business in Spittal Hill. He also worked as a Mortgage Consultant for Cattles and did match summarizing on BBC Radio Sheffield for Sheffield Wednesday.