Dozy Ferguson may have regretted taking sleeping tablets

Mar 16 2013 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

Former Scotland star Ian Ferguson earned a reputation as a midfield dynamo ... but a ‘dopey’ decision on how best to cope with a bout of nerves ahead of a Hampden date with destiny could have been disastrous.

He soon regretted following some unwise advice on how to banish his cup final nerves.

Fergie explained: “I was really young at the time and it was a massive occasion for me, so I was nervous the night before.

“I was advised to take a couple of sleeping tablets to help me get a good night’s kip, so I popped a couple and it definitely helped.

“The only trouble is that I was still really groggy the next morning and, when we got to Hampden, I still wasn’t feeling anything like my old self.

“Jimmy Bone, who was St Mirren’s assistant manager at the time, noticed that I was having a bit of a stinker and he got hold of me before extra-time and gave me a kick up the backside.

“That certainly woke me up.

“I came alive instantly and felt so much better and the rest, as they say, is history.”