Reading Pearce was born in
Wallingford, Oxfordshire and attended
The Oratory School in
Woodcote until
Sixth form, when he dedicated his time towards attending
Reading's youth academy. He signed a three-year professional contract with
Reading on 23 October 2006 and made his Reading debut in an
FA Cup third-round game against
Burnley on 9 January 2007, coming off the bench to replace
Ívar Ingimarsson in the 74th minute. On 9 February 2007, he joined
Northampton Town on a month's loan. He made his league debut in Northampton's 1–0 loss to
Nottingham Forest, but received praise from manager
Stuart Gray for his performance. He scored his first goal for Northampton in a 2–1 win over Scunthorpe on 8 April 2007. which was subsequently extended to 3 January 2008. On 21 December 2007, it was announced that Pearce had signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract.
Nick Hammond said Pearce "has a superb work ethic and mentality which gives him every chance of a long and successful career here at Reading." On his return from loan he played in the
FA Cup fourth round replay against
Spurs on 15 January 2008 at the
Madejski Stadium, with the new
England boss
Fabio Capello in the stands. Pearce was handed his full debut at the start of the game, and put in a very solid performance before being sacrificed at half time as
Steve Coppell made a tactical change and went from 5–4–1 to 4–4–2. Coppell said "People will think the substitution was based on performance, but that couldn't be further from the truth. We just had a game plan and stuck to it." Pearce made another loan move on 31 January 2008, this time joining
Championship side
Norwich City until the end of the
2007–08 season. Upon his return to Reading he scored his first goal for them in a
League Cup win over Luton Town on 26 August 2008. He then went on loan to
Southampton on 31 October 2008 until the end of December. He made his debut at
Preston North End on 1 November, scoring Southampton's first goal as they came from 2–0 down to claim a 3–2 victory. Following the departure of Reading's manager
Steve Coppell and the arrival of his replacement,
Brendan Rodgers, Pearce was appointed Reading's vice captain. Due to an injury to new club captain
Ívar Ingimarsson, Pearce started the
2009–10 in the first team side as captain. Pearce won
Player of the Season for Reading in the
2011–12 Football League Championship winning season and was solid at the back all year whilst scoring goals of his own. Pearce signed a new two-year contract on 21 June 2013.
Derby County Pearce signed a three-year contract with
Derby County on 8 June 2015, with his Reading contract expiring at the end of the
2014–15 season. He made his debut for Derby in a
League Cup tie against
Portsmouth on 12 August 2015. On 19 January 2016, Pearce joined
Bristol City on loan for the remainder of the
2015–16 season. On 29 October 2016, he scored his first goal for Derby in a 2–0 win over
Sheffield Wednesday.
Millwall On 4 January 2019, Pearce joined
Millwall on loan for the second half of the
2018–19 season. He was released by Derby County at the end of the 2018–19 season. He signed for Millwall on 14 May 2019 on a free transfer. He was released on 20 May 2022.
AFC Wimbledon Following his release by Millwall, Pearce joined
AFC Wimbledon on 7 June 2022. He scored his first goal for
AFC Wimbledon against
Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 19 December 2023, a result that sent The Dons into the last 16 of the
EFL Trophy. He departed the club upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the
2023–24 season.
Leatherhead In October 2024, Pearce joined
Isthmian League South Central Division club
Leatherhead. ==International career==