Ask Preston fans, and Ben Pearson is the greatest holding midfielder since Andrea Pirlo called it quits. Ask rival fans, and they’ll tell you Pearson is an irritating pest, one of the most disliked Championship players.
Pearson is the perfect example of a player you’d love to have in your team, but hate to play against him. He’s fantastic on the ball, he’s committed and he’s the heartbeat of the North End side.
He’s also guilty of bending rules, he’s constantly in the referee’s ear and, more often than not, in the referee’s notebook too. Not a week goes by without opposition fans taking to Twitter to share their hatred of Pearson whilst Preston supporters lap it up, adding to the love for him at Deepdale.
Some fans may have a set view of Pearson as being a villain; a snarling anchor man who loves to kick and foul and cheat. That would certainly do his all-round game a disservice, but he’s also shown that he’s generous off the pitch.
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Sunday league side Shawdale FC have taken to Twitter to post a team photo, confirming that Pearson has provided their kits for the new season. The shirts also have ‘Pearo4’ on the front, with Pearson sponsoring both the home and away shirts.
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The team are based in Shaw, near Pearson’s home town of Oldham, and Shawdale’s official website states that Pearson has ‘continued to support us throughout the seasons’.
Shawdale are currently playing in the Hyde, Oldham & District Sunday League, so whilst Pearson is busy as one of the Championship’s top midfielders, he’s still doing great work locally.
North End fans will love seeing this kind of stuff from such a fan favourite, and Shawdale may just pick up a few fans off the back of Pearson’s involvement.