Duncan Ferguson has recalled the time he had to resuscitate a burglar after thinking he had killed him in a fit of rage.
Everton legend Ferguson is well known for his hardman persona on the pitch, having served a 44-day prison sentence in 1994 for headbutting an opponent while playing for Rangers. He also jointly holds the unwanted Premier League record of eight red cards.
But the 51-year-old, who was recently appointed manager of League One side Forest Green, has also had more than his fair share of violent incidents off the pitch. Back in 2001, when he was 29 and playing for Everton, Ferguson’s home – a converted barn in Rufford, Lancashire – was broken into while he was inside with his wife Janine and their six-month-old daughter.
Speaking on BBC podcast Tony Bellew Is Angry, Ferguson has now explained what happened next. “I'm lying on the couch,” he said. “I heard something. I put my trainers on. I had no top on, I was ripped back then, and I could see two shadows coming through the conservatory.
“I was quite calm. I am quite calm with these things, probably because I've had one or two of these situations in the past, you get used to it. I got a grip of one of them and that was when I got angry...
“I unloaded, I really did. I really followed in to the point where I thought I'd killed him, I really did. I had to try and resuscitate him then. So you go from a point of unloading on the fella to helping him. It happened in a matter of seconds.”
The burglars, Michael Pratt and Barry Dawson, were later jailed for 15 months for the break-in, which saw them trying to steal bottles of champagne, a framed picture and CDs. Dawson, who was 22 at the time, spent three days in hospital recovering from the injuries inflicted by Ferguson.
Speaking at their sentencing, Judge Anthony Procter told Dawson and Pratt: "There is no way you can be called hardened criminals but we are dealing with a burglary at night when the house was occupied.
"Mr Ferguson may give the impression of being a hard man, but it is clear he was shaken by this incident, primarily for the effects on his wife and young child."
Ferguson put the house up for sale shortly after the break-in but was the victim of another attempted burglary two years later at a different location. In 2003, Carl Bishop, 37, required two days in hospital after he was caught trying to rob Ferguson’s £2million home in Formby.
Bishop was trying to take alcohol from Ferguson’s outbuilding when he was approached by the 6ft 4in striker. In the following altercation, Bishop was left battered and bruised and suffered a broken jaw and three missing teeth. He was sentenced to four years for trespassing with intent to steal and 12 months for failing to return to jail while on licence.
