Ian Pearce
Encyclopedia
Ian Anthony Pearce is an English
footballer who plays as a defender, spending the majority of his career in the Premier League. He is currently playing for Kingstonian
in the Isthmian Premier League.
during the 1991–92 season. He played just four games in three seasons before moving onto Blackburn Rovers in October 1993 for a fee of £300,000.
. He scored his first goal in April 1994 coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win at West Ham United
, a result which guaranteed Rovers a place in Europe for the first time in their history. He moved to centre-half the following season, forming a formidable partnership with Colin Hendry
, and won a Premiership medal in the 1994–95 season.
. Pearce was out for 14 months, but returned in October 2000 against Newcastle United
. He failed to find his true fitness, and only played 17 times in that season.
moving to West Ham. He started all nine games of that season as Fulham's first choice centre back. He made his debut in a match against Tottenham Hotspur
at Loftus Road
on 31 January 2004.
However, in his 2004–05 season, he was hampered with a back injury sustained in December 2004. He did manage to play a few reserve games at the end of the season, but did not play for the first team. In August 2005, he was close to signing for Norwich City
, but pulled out because of family reasons.
Pearce was praised as 'Best player in pre season' by then Fulham manager Chris Coleman
. His admirable resolve was demonstrated when in a 1–1 draw against Portsmouth
he played through a painful foot injury only to score an equaliser before time and secure a critical point for Fulham.
On 22 February 2008, he joined Southampton
on a 30-day loan deal. Injury restricted him to one appearance, in a 1–1 draw against Scunthorpe United
.
Pearce had a trial for Brentford
and played against Staines Town
in a 3–0 win.
on 21 August 2009 as an attacking midfielder and forward and made his competitive debut for the club against Aveley. He left the club on 27 September.
. On 17 October, Pearce made his playing debut for Lincoln, coming on as a substitute in their 1–0 away defeat to Northampton Town
. He was sent off as an unused substitute in a match against Cheltenham Town
on 14 November 2009.
on Saturday the 19th on March 2011, in the 2-0 win over Lowestoft Town.
as the club's assistant manager to newly appointed Chris Sutton
. He left when Chris Sutton resigned on 29 September 2010.
playing cousin, Ed Pearce who played for Bristol RUFC
and was called into the England squad by Sir Clive Woodward
.
|1990–91||rowspan="3"|Chelsea
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|1991–92||2||0||||||||||||||2||0
|-
|1992–93||Premier League||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|1993–94||rowspan="5"|Blackburn Rovers
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||5||1||||||||||||||5||1
|-
|1994–95||28||0||||||||||||||28||0
|-
|1995–96||12||1||||||||||||||12||1
|-
|1996–97||12||0||||||||||||||12||0
|-
|1997–98||5||0||||||||||||||5||0
|-
|1997–98||rowspan="7"|West Ham United
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||30||1||||||||||||||30||1
|-
|1998–99||33||2||||||||||||||33||2
|-
|1999–2000||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|2000–01||15||1||||||||||||||15||1
|-
|2001–02||9||2||||||||||||||9||2
|-
|2002–03||30||2||2||0||1||0||||||33||2
|-
|2003–04||First Division
||24||1||||||||||||||24||1
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="5"|Fulham
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||13||0||1||0||1||0||||||15||0
|-
|2004–05||11||0||0||0||1||0||||||12||0
|-
|2005–06||10||0||1||0||1||0||||||12||0
|-
|2006–07||22||1||1||0||||||||||23||1
|-
|2007–08||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|2007–08||Southampton
||Championship
||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|2009–10
||Lincoln City
||League Two
||10||0||1||0||||||||||11||0
276||12||||||||||||||286||12
276||12||6||0||4||0||||||286||12
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer who plays as a defender, spending the majority of his career in the Premier League. He is currently playing for Kingstonian
Kingstonian F.C.
Kingstonian Football Club are an English, semi-professional football club that are playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2011–12 season. The club has played at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames since 1989, after leaving their traditional Richmond Road ground...
in the Isthmian Premier League.
Early career
Pearce started his career at Oxted & District FC then moved to ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
during the 1991–92 season. He played just four games in three seasons before moving onto Blackburn Rovers in October 1993 for a fee of £300,000.
Blackburn Rovers
Pearce's debut was as a substitute in October 1993 in a defeat to LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. He scored his first goal in April 1994 coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win at West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, a result which guaranteed Rovers a place in Europe for the first time in their history. He moved to centre-half the following season, forming a formidable partnership with Colin Hendry
Colin Hendry
Edward Colin Hendry is a retired Scottish footballer and manager, who played as a defender. Hendry started his career with Dundee in 1983 and spent spells at Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Rangers, Coventry City, Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool...
, and won a Premiership medal in the 1994–95 season.
West Ham United
Pearce moved on to West Ham for £3.5 million in October 1997. In the 1999–2000 season, he only played 37 minutes after injuring his knee ligaments with a clash with Stuart PearceStuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
. Pearce was out for 14 months, but returned in October 2000 against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
. He failed to find his true fitness, and only played 17 times in that season.
Fulham
Pearce signed for Fulham in January 2004 in a deal which involved an undisclosed transfer fee and Andy MelvilleAndy Melville
Andrew Roger Melville is a former Wales international footballer. In the early years of his career, he played in midfield. He was later converted into a central defender....
moving to West Ham. He started all nine games of that season as Fulham's first choice centre back. He made his debut in a match against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
at Loftus Road
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
on 31 January 2004.
However, in his 2004–05 season, he was hampered with a back injury sustained in December 2004. He did manage to play a few reserve games at the end of the season, but did not play for the first team. In August 2005, he was close to signing for Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, but pulled out because of family reasons.
Pearce was praised as 'Best player in pre season' by then Fulham manager Chris Coleman
Chris Coleman (footballer)
Christopher "Chris" Coleman is a Welsh football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Greek Side Larissa....
. His admirable resolve was demonstrated when in a 1–1 draw against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
he played through a painful foot injury only to score an equaliser before time and secure a critical point for Fulham.
On 22 February 2008, he joined Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
on a 30-day loan deal. Injury restricted him to one appearance, in a 1–1 draw against Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
.
Pearce had a trial for Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
and played against Staines Town
Staines Town F.C.
Staines Town FC are an English football club based in Staines, Surrey. They are currently competing in the Conference South. The team are usually known as 'The Swans'...
in a 3–0 win.
Oxted & District
Pearce rejoined Oxted & District, the club where his career began, in September 2008.Kingstonian
Pearce signed for KingstonianKingstonian F.C.
Kingstonian Football Club are an English, semi-professional football club that are playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2011–12 season. The club has played at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames since 1989, after leaving their traditional Richmond Road ground...
on 21 August 2009 as an attacking midfielder and forward and made his competitive debut for the club against Aveley. He left the club on 27 September.
Lincoln City
On 9 October 2009, in addition to his contract as assistant manager, Pearce signed a playing contract with Lincoln CityLincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
. On 17 October, Pearce made his playing debut for Lincoln, coming on as a substitute in their 1–0 away defeat to Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
. He was sent off as an unused substitute in a match against Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
on 14 November 2009.
Return to Kingstonian
Pearce returned for KingstonianKingstonian F.C.
Kingstonian Football Club are an English, semi-professional football club that are playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2011–12 season. The club has played at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames since 1989, after leaving their traditional Richmond Road ground...
on Saturday the 19th on March 2011, in the 2-0 win over Lowestoft Town.
International career
Pearce was capped three times for England at under-21 level in the mid 1990s, but never made the senior national side.Managerial career
On 27 September, Pearce signed for Lincoln CityLincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
as the club's assistant manager to newly appointed Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...
. He left when Chris Sutton resigned on 29 September 2010.
Personal life
Pearce has a rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
playing cousin, Ed Pearce who played for Bristol RUFC
Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
and was called into the England squad by Sir Clive Woodward
Clive Woodward
Sir Clive Ronald Woodward OBE is an English former rugby union player and coach. He was coach of the team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He is currently the British Olympic Association's Director of Elite Performance.-Early life:Woodward was born in Ely...
.
Career statistics
|-|1990–91||rowspan="3"|Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|1991–92||2||0||||||||||||||2||0
|-
|1992–93||Premier League||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|1993–94||rowspan="5"|Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||5||1||||||||||||||5||1
|-
|1994–95||28||0||||||||||||||28||0
|-
|1995–96||12||1||||||||||||||12||1
|-
|1996–97||12||0||||||||||||||12||0
|-
|1997–98||5||0||||||||||||||5||0
|-
|1997–98||rowspan="7"|West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||30||1||||||||||||||30||1
|-
|1998–99||33||2||||||||||||||33||2
|-
|1999–2000||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|2000–01||15||1||||||||||||||15||1
|-
|2001–02||9||2||||||||||||||9||2
|-
|2002–03||30||2||2||0||1||0||||||33||2
|-
|2003–04||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||24||1||||||||||||||24||1
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="5"|Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||13||0||1||0||1||0||||||15||0
|-
|2004–05||11||0||0||0||1||0||||||12||0
|-
|2005–06||10||0||1||0||1||0||||||12||0
|-
|2006–07||22||1||1||0||||||||||23||1
|-
|2007–08||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|2007–08||Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||1||0||||||||||||||1||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Football League Two
The Football League 2009–10 , was the seventeenth season under its current league division format. It began in August 2009 and ended on 8 May 2010....
||Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||10||0||1||0||||||||||11||0
276||12||||||||||||||286||12
276||12||6||0||4||0||||||286||12