Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Peter James McParland | ||
Date of birth | 25 April 1934 | ||
Place of birth | Newry, Northern Ireland | ||
Position(s) | Outside left | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1951–1952 | Dundalk | 14 | (2) |
1952–1962 | Aston Villa | 293 | (98) |
1962–1963 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 21 | (10) |
1963–1964 | Plymouth Argyle | 38 | (15) |
1964–1965 | Worcester City | (11) | |
1965 | Toronto Inter-Roma | ||
1965 | Peterborough United | 0 | (0) |
1965–1967 | Worcester City | (7) | |
1967–1968 | Atlanta Chiefs | 54 | (14) |
1968–1971 | Glentoran | 7 | (3) |
Total | 427 | (160) | |
International career | |||
1954–1962 | Northern Ireland | 34 | (10) |
Managerial career | |||
1968–1971 | Glentoran | ||
1980 | Hong Kong | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Peter James McParland MBE (born 25 April 1934) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as an outside left.
McParland was born in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland. He was spotted playing for Dundalk in the League of Ireland by Aston Villa manager George Martin. Martin signed McParland for a fee of £3,880. [ citation needed ]
McParland holds a unique place in English football history as the first player in the game to score in and win both English major domestic knockout Finals. One of the finest headers and strikers of the ball of the past fifty years, he is regarded as one of the greatest players to represent both Aston Villa and Northern Ireland.
During his time with Aston Villa, McParland got influenced by Jimmy Hogan, [1] later won the FA Cup in 1957, scoring twice in the final against Manchester United but also becoming involved in a controversial incident in which he shoulder-charged (at the time a legitimate form of challenge) the Manchester United keeper after only 6 minutes which left United's goalkeeper, Ray Wood, unconscious with a broken cheekbone. McParland's two-goal haul is remembered fondly as an example of his all-round abilities as a player showcasing his diving header and volleying techniques.
McParland also won the Second Division title in 1960 and the League Cup in 1961 while with Aston Villa. He was on the scoresheet for the second leg of the 1961 League Cup final, when Villa overturned a 2–0 deficit against Rotherham United to win the second leg 3–0 at Villa Park and become the winners of the first Football League Cup.
Following Aston Villa, McParland joined local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers for a brief spell in 1962. Although he was only there for one season, he did manage to score 10 goals in 21 games. The following season McParland moved on to Plymouth Argyle, his final English league club (although he later turned out for Worcester City in the Southern League), before hanging up his boots. In 1965, McParland was recruited to play for Toronto Inter-Roma FC of the Eastern Canadian Professional Soccer League. [2] He scored many memorable goals, especially one against the Hamilton Steelers to give his side the victory.
McParland played for the Atlanta Chiefs of the North American Soccer League in 1967 and 1968. [3] He ended his career as player-manager of Glentoran. [4]
McParland represented Northern Ireland 34 times and scored twice in his debut against Wales in 1953–54 season.
McParland also starred for Northern Ireland in the 1958 FIFA World Cup in which he scored five goals and helped his team to the quarter-finals. France defeated Northern Ireland 4–0 in their quarter-final.
McParland holds the record for being the highest-scoring Northern Irish player in World Cup finals history.
In April 2015, the feature-length documentary Spirit of '58 was screened as part of the Belfast Film Festival. It featured Peter McParland prominently alongside the other surviving players at the time (Billy Bingham, Billy Simpson, Jimmy McIlroy and Harry Gregg) as it told the story of Northern Ireland's journey throughout the 1950s under the managership of Peter Doherty, culminating in the 1958 World Cup. Following the death of Billy Bingham in June 2022, McParland is the last surviving member of the Northern Ireland squad from that World Cup campaign.
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 March 1954 | Wrexham, Wales | Wales | 2–0 | 1954 British Home Championship | |
2 | ||||||
3 | 11 June 1958 | Halmstad, Sweden | Argentina | 1–3 | 1958 FIFA World Cup | |
4 | 15 June 1958 | Malmö, Sweden | West Germany | 2–2 | 1958 FIFA World Cup | |
5 | ||||||
6 | 17 June 1958 | Malmö, Sweden | Czechoslovakia | 2–1 | 1958 FIFA World Cup | |
7 | ||||||
8 | 22 April 1959 | Wrexham, Wales | Wales | 4–1 | 1959 British Home Championship | |
9 | ||||||
10 | 9 November 1960 | Glasgow, Scotland | Scotland | 2–5 | 1961 British Home Championship |
Aston Villa
William Henry Walker was a prominent English footballer of the 1920s and 1930s. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest footballers to ever play for Aston Villa and England. As a manager he won the FA Cup with each of Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest, some 24 years apart, a record which still stands.
James McIlroy was a Northern Ireland international footballer, who played for Glentoran, Burnley, Stoke City and Oldham Athletic. He was regarded as one of Burnley's greatest players, having played 497 matches and scoring 131 goals. McIlroy also managed Oldham Athletic and Bolton Wanderers.
Raymond James Houghton is a former professional footballer and current sports analyst and commentator with RTÉ Sport.
John Blanchflower was a footballer from Northern Ireland. He graduated from Manchester United's youth system and played for the club on 117 occasions, winning one league title, before his career was cut short due to injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster. He was also capped 12 times at senior level by Northern Ireland.
William Laurence Bingham was a Northern Ireland international footballer and manager.
Christopher John Nicholl was a professional footballer who later worked as a coach and manager.
1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s – 1950s – 1960s – 1970s – 1980s – 1990s – 2000s – 2010s – 2020s
The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England. This year The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level on points, replacing the traditional goal average tiebreaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring. Coloured red and yellow cards were introduced for the first time in domestic English football.
The 1957 FA Cup final was a football match played on 4 May 1957 at Wembley Stadium between Aston Villa and Manchester United. Villa won 2–1, with both of their goals scored by Peter McParland. Tommy Taylor scored United's goal. It was Villa's first major trophy for 37 years and prevented United from doing The Double, Matt Busbys' side having been crowned Football League champions having won the First Division.
William J. Simpson was a Northern Ireland international footballer, who played for Linfield, Rangers, Stirling Albion, Partick Thistle and Oxford United.
Aston Villa Football Club were formed in 1874, by fifteen members [Report by the Sports Argus on a talk by co-founder Jack Hughes, 1899] of the Wesleyan Chapel at Villa Cross in Lozells. Four of the founders were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood. The club won its first FA Cup in 1887. Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in 1888 with the club's outgoing chairman William McGregor being the league's founder. Aston Villa emerged as the most successful English club of the Victorian era. By the end of Villa's "Golden Age" at the start of the First World War, the club had won the League Championship six times and the FA Cup five times.
James McLaughlin McIntosh was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. As a player McIntosh was a fast, strong, stocky forward.
Martin Harvey was a Northern Irish footballer who played for Sunderland and the Northern Ireland national team as a wing half.
James Warner was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Aston Villa and Newton Heath in the late 19th century. He helped Aston Villa win the FA Cup in 1887.
The 2010 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2009–10 Football League Cup, the 50th season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and The Football League. The match, played at Wembley Stadium on 28 February 2010, was won by Manchester United, who beat Aston Villa 2–1. Aston Villa took the lead in the fifth minute of the game, via a James Milner penalty kick, but Michael Owen equalised for Manchester United seven minutes later. Wayne Rooney, who replaced the injured Owen shortly before half time, scored the winning goal with 16 minutes left to play.
Jack Peter Grealish is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team. Grealish is known for his dribbling and playmaking ability as well as his robust defensive capabilities. Grealish is often considered to be one of the most popular and marketable athletes in England.
The 2015 FA Cup final was an association football match played between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium, London, on 30 May 2015. Organised by the Football Association (FA), it was the 134th final of the Football Association Challenge Cup, the world's oldest football cup competition. En route to the final, Arsenal defeated Hull City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Middlesbrough, Manchester United and Reading. Aston Villa secured victories over Blackpool, Bournemouth, Leicester City, West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool in the rounds before the final.
The 1957–58 English football season was Aston Villa's 58th season in the Football League, this season playing in the Football League First Division.
The 1956–57 English football season was Aston Villa's 57th season in the Football League, this season playing in the Football League First Division. In the Second City derby Villa won both matches. In October 1956 they beat Birmingham 3–1 at home with goals by Jackie Sewell, Ken Roberts and Stan Lynn. They beat Birmingham 2–1 away, both Villa goals by Roy Chapman.