Ferguson slipped through Newcastle United’s scouting net to join City’s strong youth scheme where he played alongside players of the calibre of Alan Green, Jimmy Holmes and Graham Oakey. He made his debut soon after the sale of Colin Stein in 1975 but struggled to make an impression and did not become a regular until the start of 1976-77 season. With the arrival of Ian Wallace he started to score regularly. In 1977-78, despite two periods of injury, he scored 17 goals in 30 games, including three hat-tricks, and his partnership with Wallace was one of the most lethal in the First Division. City scored 75 goals, their biggest goal haul in any season in the top flight. At one stage he was strongly tipped for international honours.
Injury and loss of form affected him over the next two seasons however and in 1979-80 he and Wallace played together only ten times: in four of those, at the end of November he scored eight goals including four against Ipswich. Forest, Villa and Ipswich were all supposedly keen to sign him, with Brian Clough agreeing a £500,000 deal, then pulling out. In the summer of 1981, Everton paid £280,000 for a player sadly past his best and troubled by injuries. Only Wallace, Dion Dublin and Cyrille Regis surpassed his career goal total for City in the top-flight era.
Despite scoring a League Cup winner against City at Highfield Road, he never overcame the injuries and drifted to Birmingham City a year later. He did return to City, on loan, at the end of 1983-84 and scored three goals in seven games, including one in the final crucial game against Norwich, to save City and send his own club down. He wanted to return permanently but could not agree personal terms with Bobby Gould and he went to play for Brighton, where his former City team mate Chris Cattlin was manager and he later appeared for Colchester and Wealdstone.
Since retiring he has been involved with Football in the Community at Sunderland, Newcastle and Leeds United where he headed up their Football in the Community team.

Hat tricks (4)
1977-78
4 October 1977 v Manchester City H, Division One
29 October 1977 v Wolverhampton Wanderers A, Division One
4 March 1978 v Birmingham City H, Division One
1979-80
1 December 1979 v Ipswich Town H, Division One (4 goals)