In the months leading up to Stephen Pearson leaving Motherwell in 2004 to join boyhood idols Celtic, many in the Fir Park support were critical of the player, perceiving his head to have been turned by the Glasgow giants.
They made their feelings known audibly from the stands, both upon his return to play against Motherwell with Celtic, and indeed, to the disappointment of the player, prior to his departure whilst still wearing a Motherwell jersey.
“Obviously I was a bit disappointed the way it was handled through the media because it could have been handled a bit better’, explained Pearson.
“I’d rather whatever was spoken about was kept behind closed doors, but that wasn’t the case.
“It seemed to run on and on and on and I regret the way that happened because it kind of left a sour taste with the Motherwell fans in regards to myself, and obviously I was a bit disappointed at being booed by our own fans now and again.
“But that’s how the transfer went and I’m disappointed it went that way. I’ve still got a lot of respect for the Motherwell fans and I’m sure they would say the same about me looking back.
“We’ve moved on from that and I still look out for the Motherwell scores. They’re still my local club and I’ve got a lot of friends there, so I wish them all the best.’
‘Pearo’ burst on to the Fir Park scene as one of the exciting youngsters charged with resurrecting a Motherwell side shorn of its more experienced players following the trauma of administration.
His partnership with Stevie Hammell on the left flank was one of the key strengths of a side that, following a difficult first season, began to haul the club back towards the top six and the latter stages of the cups.
“It gave us a chance,” said Pearson.
“Nobody wanted to see the club go into administration and lose their best players, but from a young boy’s perspective it was an ideal opportunity to try and get in the side.
“It was a real opportunity for the likes of myself and James McFadden and obviously Keith Lasley and Stevie Hammell were already in the side at the time.
“It was a great club to be at. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Motherwell. Being a local lad as well it was great to play for your local club.
“Looking back on it, we had players breaking into the Scotland team, the [Scottish Cup] semi-final at Hampden against Rangers; the place was buzzing at the time.”
Pearson’s fine form didn’t go unnoticed, and the long-rumoured move to Celtic finally materialised after Martin O’Neill lodged a £350,000 bid in January 2004.
He settled into the side immediately, playing in the team that eliminated Barcelona from the UEFA Cup, starting in the Scottish Cup Final and capping off a fine season with the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year Award.
“It was absolutely brilliant,” said Pearson.
“You ask any kid and they’ll tell you they want to play for the team they supported and I was fortunate enough to get that opportunity.
“When I went in there, there were a lot of big-name players at the club, so it was a difficult thing to do in terms of going into a dressing room with all those characters, but on the pitch it was very easy to play alongside that quality of player.
“It was a dream start to my Celtic career, and the first 6 to 8 months I couldn’t have asked to have gone any better.”
Alas, the dream start was not to continue for Pearson, and a period on the sidelines following groin surgery saw his first-team chances at Parkhead restricted.
“You train every day and you want to get something at the end of it, so there just came a point where I was getting a bit older and had to be playing regularly for my career,” said Pearson.
“It was a difficult decision leaving Celtic, but I wouldn’t say I regretted it as I’ve went on to have a good career myself. But it’s always difficult to leave a club the size of Celtic, because nine times out of ten the only way you’re going to go is down.
“It was a great experience to be at Celtic, I fulfilled a lot of boyhood dreams there and I can always look back on it with fond memories.”
Famously, the Motherwell lad went on to score the so-called ‘£60million goal’, the winning strike in the Championship play-off that took Derby County to the Premiership. Now recuperating following ankle surgery at Bristol City, he is targeting a January comeback.
With his contract expiring in the summer though, he doesn’t discount the possibility of following the path of some notable Fir Park alumni in one day returning to the club where it all began.
“You can never rule anything out, and I’m coming to the twilight years of my career now, but ideally I would like to stay in England for a year or two or even try playing abroad for a couple of years, so we’ll just see what happens from there.”
Article: Graeme McGarry (vs Celtic Matchday Magazine)
Picture: Bristol City FC
Phil McGhee at Fir Park
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