view Ferry's match-by-match record
 
Simon FERRY

A Scottish under-19 international midfielder who initially signed on a three month loan deal in August 2009 from Celtic, Ferry arrived at the Town in a double deal with Ben Hutchinson - both players immediately thrust into the starting line-up two days after their arrival for a 2-1 win over Southend, in a match where Ferry’s energetic display earned him the man-of-the-match award. He immediately struck up a central midfield partnership with Jonathan Douglas - the two players only separated when Douglas was suspended in October - a spell in which Ferry netted his first goal for the club, in a 4-1 win at Tranmere. With Ferry’s importance to the team increasing, his loan deal was extended until January - and Ferry immediately declared that he would love to join permanently if a deal could be done - a desire that he reiterated when his loan was eventually extended until the end of the season in January.

Ferry continued in the side for the rest of the season - his only enforced absence coming in March when he picked up two yellow cards in a three minute spell at Southampton - the first for what looked like a tough but fair 50/50 challenge, the second for a rash sliding tackle - but he gained his place straight back when he returned after his one game ban. By that point, he had doubled his goal tally with a headed effort against Stockport - perhaps the only real criticism of his loan period what that he didn't seem confident enough in front of goal - and unfortunately his next goal in a Town shirt wasn't well received either. Looking slightly jaded as the season wore to a close, Ferry was rested for the penultimate game of the season against Brentford, but when the Town won the game, he soon returned for the crunch clash at Millwall that could have seen the Town promoted if results had gone their way - a match that Ferry described as the biggest of his career. When defeat, coupled with the result at Leeds, meant that the Town would be in the play-offs, Ferry made a significant contribution in the first leg against Charlton - setting up the Town's second goal with a superb eighty yard run having picked the ball up on the edge of his own area, then sliding the ball through to Danny Ward at just the right moment. The second leg wasn't as successful for Ferry - after he inexplicably managed to divert a cross into his own goal when marking the far post at a corner, Ferry was sacrificed in the second half to be replaced by defender Kevin Amankwaah after captain Gordon Greer was sent off. When the Town managed to pull the tie back and win on penalties, Ferry's celebrations after the game were some of the most animated. Sadly, there were no such celebrations on display at Wembley - Swindon losing the final to Millwall by a single goal to nil.

With the season over, the Town made little secret of their own desire to bring Ferry back to the County Ground on a permanent deal, but with Neil Lennon recently installed in the manager's job at Parkhead, any deal would have to wait until the new boss had cast his eye over his whole squad. Early in July, it was reported that a double deal was being lined up for both Ferry and fellow Celtic player Paul Caddis, but with Swindon heading to their pre-season tour of Austria, any deal would have to wait until their return. The deal looked in danger when the Town's initial offer was rebuffed, but when an improved offer was accepted - believed to be £350,000 for the two players, potentially rising up to £600,000 with add-ons - the pair both signed three year contracts early in August 2010.

However, with the arrival of fellow central midfielder David Prutton as well over the close season, Ferry started the season on the bench - Wilson seemingly preferring Prutton alongside Douglas in the Town's midfield. After poor results in the opening two games, Wilson experimented with a five man midfield for the trip to Hartlepool, giving Ferry his first start of the season - with the Town 2-0 down, Ferry was withdrawn on the hour, and watched from the sidelines as his team-mates fought back to 2-2 - the following Saturday, he was on the bench again.

Suspension to Prutton gave Ferry another chance in the side at the end of August - and with the Town winning 3-0 at Southampton in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, he kept his place the following week in a 0-0 draw at Walsall, only to suffer an injured ankle in training that kept him out for two games. On his return to the bench, Prutton was again sent off, and Ferry played every match during October - before a challenge by Yeovil's Nathan Jones forced him off at half time as the Town drew 3-3 at Huish Park - manager Wilson describing the tackle as 'horrendous'. The resulting shin injury kept him out for three weeks - but other than a brief cameo in an FA Cup tie at Crawley, it wasn't until the Christmas period that Ferry played again - and though he started four games over the turn of the year, he was back on the bench by mid-January.

Over the following eight games, Ferry was an unused substitute for seven of them - a spell that Swindon hit some of their worst form of the season, as the team plummeted towards the relegation zone - then, after a substitute appearance against Carlisle, Wilson finally named Ferry in the starting eleven for a trip to promotion chasing Southampton. The 4-1 defeat proved to be Wilson's last in charge of the Town - new boss Paul Hart started with Ferry for his first match in charge, but didn't use him again for another seven weeks, by which time, the Town were rooted to the bottom of the league and on the brink of relegation. Ferry played the full ninety minutes at Hillsborough - a match that Sheffield Wednesday won by three goals to one, to seal the Town's demotion to League Two. The following week, with Hart sacked, caretaker boss Paul Bodin picked Ferry again, and he was awarded man-of-the-match despite a 2-0 defeat by Oldham - victory at Tranmere on the final day bringing to an end Ferry's self-confessed 'most frustrating season' of his life.

With both Prutton and captain Jonathan Douglas both leaving the club following the relegation, new boss Paolo di Canio brought in many midfielders as he rebuilt his squad - and he later admitted that he had told Ferry that he could leave if he wished - di Canio stating that he wasn't happy with the way that Ferry behaved, and that he hadn't shown real desire, whilst alluding to the fact that he was carrying too much weight. After being named on the bench for the opening three games, Ferry was given a chance in the starting line-up for the local derby against Oxford, and though the game was lost, the Scot was named as man-of-the-match - the Town boss admitting that Ferry had managed to change his opinion.

For the rest of the season, Ferry was a vital part of a team that won the League Two championship, securing promotion back to League One at the first attempt. Though he was occasionally named on the bench - generally against more physical opponents where di Canio opted to play two enforcers in Oliver Risser and Jonathan Smith - Ferry started in 36 games and appeared in all but two, the only games missed at Dagenham in August when he was still out of favour, and at Hereford in February, as he recovered from an illness that had forced him to retire early in a promotion clash against Crawley a few days previously.

The week after netting his first goal of the season - finishing a fine team move in the home game against Hereford in October - di Canio took time out to praise the midfielder for a fine performance in a 2-0 win at Accrington Stanley, pointing out that Ferry was beginning to match his good home performances with similar away from home. A month later, Ferry netted his second goal, wrapping up a superb 4-1 victory over Huddersfield in the FA Cup with the Town's fourth - and despite potential interest from higher league clubs, Ferry stated that he had no interest in leaving the County Ground.

Over the coming months, Ferry helped Swindon to the Johnstone's Paint Trophy - appearing at Wembley in a 2-0 defeat to Chesterfield in March - three weeks later, the Town were on the brink of promotion, needing just a point at Aldershot to seal it. Ferry was named on the bench for the game, joining as a second half substitute as the Town gave a lacklustre performance in a 2-1 defeat - after the game, Ferry was one of five players forced to apologise for their part in a weekend drinking session that incensed di Canio - the Town boss blaming the poor performance on the premature celebrations. Ferry was restored to the starting eleven the following weekend, as Swindon secured promotion despite a 3-1 defeat at Gillingham - seven days later, a thumping 5-0 victory over Port Vale prompted further celebrations as the title was assured. After setting up the Town's second goal with a delightful back-heel into the path of Paul Benson, Ferry lived up to his reputation as the team joker - running out to receive his championship medal dressed only in his pants.

Over the summer, the arrival of Alan Navarro and Tommy Miller seemed to put Ferry's place in the side under threat again - Town boss di Canio challenging the Scot to add an 'element of responsibility' to his play, handing him the captain's armband on occasion during the Town's pre-season tour of Italy. Ferry began the season on the subs bench, with both new signings starting - and he was in and out of the first eleven for the first two months of the season, as di Canio rotated his midfield options - while also adding to them, with the loan signings of John Bostock and Giles Coke. Injuries to Navarro, Miller and Coke though paved the way for Ferry to cement his place in the starting eleven, and though he was benched for a home defeat to Colchester after netting his opening goal of the season to seal the points at Shrewsbury, Ferry was almost ever-present throughout October and November - and with the Town under a transfer embargo, di Canio bemoaned his lack of midfield options, questioning how long Ferry could continue with the Town's busy schedule. Nonetheless, when regular skipper Alan McCormack got injured at the beginning of November, di Canio handed Ferry the captaincy in his absence, praising him for his professionalism and work ethic in training.

When the embargo was finally lifted, di Canio was quick to sign Danny Hollands on loan from Charlton - and his arrival once again saw the midfield pairing subject to squad rotation, Ferry again in and out if the starting eleven throughout December and into the New Year. It was a period that saw some of Swindon's best football of the season - with Tranmere, Portsmouth and Carlisle all thumped at the County Ground - but though things were going well on the pitch, matters off the field were not as rosy - with owner Andrew Black looking to sell the club. When Hollands got injured in mid-January, with the club in the process of being sold, di Canio was again prevented from adding to his side - and with Ferry, Miller and Navarro the only fit central midfielders, the three of them shared the midfield responsibilities right through to the end of February, by which time, the off-field situation had caused di Canio to resign. Ferry also spoke of his concern at the situation, with his contract expiring at the end of the season and a new family to support.

When new boss Kevin MacDonald was installed, his first decision was to move Alan McCormack out of defence and back to his original midfield position - a reshuffle that saw Ferry move out to the right side. Though his new position didn’t seem to suit him, Ferry scored in back-to-back games in March against Walsall and Brentford, bringing his total for the season up to five, and more than his previous three seasons combined - and though perhaps not at his most effective, he remained in the side, despite the loan arrivals of Massimo Luongo and Dean Parrett, until a hamstring injury sidelined him for the final two games of the campaign, when Swindon secured their place in the play-offs. Ferry returned to fitness for the two matches with Brentford, which saw the Town lose out on penalties - three days later, it was announced that despite having an option for a year’s extension, Ferry’s contract was not to be renewed - a decision that was not generally popular with Town fans. In a farewell interview with the Swindon Advertiser, the Scot stated that he had loved his time at Swindon, and that he hoped the fans "can see that even if I was having a bad game I always do my best. I really do love playing football and try to play with a smile on my face". After initial rumoured interest from MK Dons and Bradford, and a trial with Championship side Yeovil, Ferry eventually signed for League Two Portsmouth on a two year deal.

PLAYING RECORD:

Season LEAGUE FA CUP LEAGUE CUP OTHER TOTAL
Played Gls Played Gls Played Gls Played Gls Played Gls
'12/'13 34 (+10) 5 1 - 1 (+3) - 1 - 37 (+13) 5
'11/'12 36 (+8) 1 3 1 2 - 4 (+1) - 45 (+9) 2
'10/'11 18 (+3) - (+1) - (+1) - 2 - 20 (+5) -
'09/'10 43 2 3 - - - - - 46 2
TOTAL 131 (+21) 8 7 (+1) 1 3 (+4) - 7 (+1) - 148 (+27) 9


TRANSFER INFORMATION:

DATE IN/OUT TRANSFER DETAIL
27 AUG 2009 IN Celtic
(loan)
1 JUN 2010 OUT Celtic
(loan return)
2 AUG 2010 IN Celtic
Undisclosed fee (double deal with Paul Caddis, believed to be a initial combined fee of £300,000, rising to a potential £600,000 depending on clauses)
9 MAY 2013 OUT (released)
» Portsmouth


full name

Simon William Ferry


 SCOTLAND
U-19 international apps



date of birth
11 January 1988


             
             
         
             
             
             

usual positions
central midfield

other positions
right midfield

youth career
Celtic 

senior career
Celtic 
SWINDON TOWN (loan)
SWINDON TOWN
Portsmouth
Dundee 
Peterhead 

website links
Twitter