sport news Brighton's Evan Ferguson, dubbed 'an Irish Phil Foden', looks set for a bright ... trends now
No matter how many goals Evan Ferguson goes on to score, he will never forget what should have been his first at senior level.
The goal that ultimately never was came in a Dublin derby appearance for Bohemians at St Patrick's Athletic.
With the match taking place during lockdown the stadium was virtually empty when Ferguson, Brighton’s teenage breakthrough starlet this season, scored.
It was ‘a brilliant striker’s finish, side-foot volley into the net’ his then manager Keith Long recalled, the sound of Ferguson’s contact on the ball echoing around Richmond Park.
Ferguson peeled away in celebration thinking he had just made history only to be stopped in his tracks when his effort was ruled out.
Evan Ferguson's first goal for Bohemians against St Patrick's Athletic was wrongly ruled out
The talented forward is now making an impact for Brighton in the Premier League
‘The referee probably won’t live it down because it’s being spoken about a little bit over here now,’ Long said.
‘Evan would have been the youngest scorer in the history of Bohemians and the League of Ireland [Premier Division].’
So why wasn’t he?
‘The noise when it hit Evan’s instep was like the slap of a ball,’ Long explained.
‘It was so loud, such a clean connection, that the referee actually thought he put it in with his hand and disallowed it, whereas he stretched with one of his telescopic legs to score a great goal.
‘After the game I could see the disappointment in Evan’s eyes. He was angry at the decision but I could also see the competitor in Evan.
Ferguson and his family pictured during his time at Bohemians prior to his switch to Brighton
‘He was so disappointed that he wasn’t going to break that record. It would have meant a lot to him.
‘You could see that winning mentality, the competitive streak in him and feel this was only the start for him.’
By that point, word of Ferguson’s talents had already got around Ireland and interest from beyond was also beginning to arrive.
An earlier occasion was another indication of his huge potential.
Physically advanced and with a maturity and talent beyond his years to match, Ferguson joined Bohemians at 14 from the renowned St Kevin’s Boys Club, predominantly played for their under-17s and held his own in first-team training.
So along with his parents and coaches, it was decided that handing him a senior debut aged just 14 in a first-team friendly against Chelsea - Frank Lampard’s first game in charge - seemed only a logical next step in his development.
Ferguson ‘did well against experienced Premier League footballers like Kurt Zouma’ and was involved in Bohemians’ goal in the 1-1 draw
