Post by: BC Villain on May 04, 2025, 08:03:45 PM
Peter, who recently celebrated his 91st birthday, will always be remembered as the player who scored both goals when Villa beat Manchester United 2-1 in the 1957 FA Cup final.
And four years later he hit the winner as Villa lifted the new League Cup, making him the first footballer to score in the finals of both major domestic knockout cup competitions.
The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Peter’s family and loved ones at this extremely difficult time.
Post by: eamonn on May 04, 2025, 08:05:27 PM
Post by: lovejoy on May 04, 2025, 08:06:07 PM
Post by: Towser on May 04, 2025, 08:06:25 PM
Post by: rob_bridge on May 04, 2025, 08:06:43 PM
Never ever will ve forgotten.
Lucky to be a school friend of one of his nephews.
Post by: Clampy on May 04, 2025, 08:07:25 PM
Post by: cdbearsfan on May 04, 2025, 08:07:57 PM
Post by: Pat McMahon on May 04, 2025, 08:10:37 PM
I always thought it would be lovely for us to win the cup again while he was still alive. It’s the same date as the 1957 win too.
Post by: dave shelley on May 04, 2025, 08:12:46 PM
Post by: Percy McCarthy on May 04, 2025, 08:13:36 PM
World class player.
Post by: Hookeysmith on May 04, 2025, 08:14:17 PM
I never saw Peter play but know we have lost a hero.
RIP Peter
Post by: curiousorange on May 04, 2025, 08:14:33 PM
Post by: Rory on May 04, 2025, 08:14:43 PM
Post by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on May 04, 2025, 08:15:37 PM
I think I'm correct in saying he was the last surviving player of either team from the 1957 Cup final as well as the 1958 Northern Ireland World Cup squad.
RIP
Post by: garyellis on May 04, 2025, 08:16:06 PM
Watched him play when I was a kid in a Charity match against some of West Midlands finest. He was a real competitor and without doubt a true Villa legend.
RIP
Post by: Abbeyfealeavfc on May 04, 2025, 08:17:06 PM
Condolences to family and friends.
Post by: cdbearsfan on May 04, 2025, 08:17:47 PM
Post by: Exeter 77 on May 04, 2025, 08:21:25 PM
Post by: PhilVill on May 04, 2025, 08:24:00 PM
Post by: PaulWinch again on May 04, 2025, 08:25:14 PM
Post by: amfy on May 04, 2025, 08:28:08 PM
Such sad news.
Post by: dorsetvillian on May 04, 2025, 08:28:42 PM
Post by: kippaxvilla2 on May 04, 2025, 08:30:38 PM
Post by: VillaTim on May 04, 2025, 08:31:25 PM
Post by: Brend'Watkins on May 04, 2025, 08:32:05 PM
Post by: Lizz on May 04, 2025, 08:33:14 PM
Post by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on May 04, 2025, 08:36:04 PM
Post by: FrankyH on May 04, 2025, 08:36:55 PM
Post by: Crown Hill on May 04, 2025, 08:37:54 PM
My dad was there in 57!
What a player and a man!
Post by: walsall villain on May 04, 2025, 08:38:57 PM
Post by: JUAN PABLO on May 04, 2025, 08:42:29 PM
Post by: ChicagoLion on May 04, 2025, 08:42:50 PM
RIP Legend.
Post by: BC Villain on May 04, 2025, 08:49:20 PM
Was only recorded few months ago, and he still seemed as sharp as a knife. We use the term "legend" far too much in this era, but Peter McParland is absolutely an Aston Villa legend who longed for us to get that eighth FA Cup success.
Post by: frank on May 04, 2025, 08:49:53 PM
Post by: ROBBO on May 04, 2025, 08:53:06 PM
Post by: CT Villan on May 04, 2025, 08:58:41 PM
My mom, when she was alive, used to tell stories of how as a youngster she worked as a clerk at the bank where Peter had his account and how excited she used to get when he came in. He was a true gent.
Post by: Drummond on May 04, 2025, 09:00:19 PM
Post by: dave.woodhall on May 04, 2025, 09:00:52 PM
Post by: SteveN on May 04, 2025, 09:05:11 PM
RIP
Post by: RamboandBruno on May 04, 2025, 09:16:13 PM
A grand age, but still very sad. RIP HEITS
Post by: Scratchins on May 04, 2025, 09:20:32 PM
Post by: MalcolmP on May 04, 2025, 09:32:08 PM
Very fitting that he passed away on 4th May 2025.
RIP a true legend.
Post by: Pete3206 on May 04, 2025, 09:32:18 PM
Post by: Rudy Can't Fail on May 04, 2025, 09:40:30 PM
Post by: Meanwood Villa on May 04, 2025, 10:05:03 PM
Post by: Grocer on May 04, 2025, 10:35:19 PM
Post by: cdbearsfan on May 04, 2025, 10:40:14 PM
Post by: Morleys left boot on May 04, 2025, 10:40:47 PM
RIP Peter a true Villa legend
God bless
Post by: Grocer on May 04, 2025, 10:41:42 PM
Very sorry for your loss, Grocer.
Thank you mate
Post by: Chip Butty 111 on May 04, 2025, 11:00:27 PM
My dad's favourite player. My dad passed away 3 weeks ago. Rip x2 ❤️Sorry to hear this Grocer, hopefully your Dad, Peter McParland and a few other HEITS are having a game with jumpers for goalposts on a lovely meadow up in the clouds...God bless them all ..
Post by: joe_c on May 04, 2025, 11:20:56 PM
That is very sad news.
I think I'm correct in saying he was the last surviving player of either team from the 1957 Cup final as well as the 1958 Northern Ireland World Cup squad.
RIP
Not only this but by my reckoning, until his death the oldest living FA Cup Final goalscorer.
Single handedly outscored England at the 1958 World Cup as well.
Some rareified company here:
(https://i.ibb.co/LzTDNDmc/Screenshot-20250504-232405-Chrome.jpg) (https://ibb.co/d0NsmsFV)
Post by: Tayls_7 on May 04, 2025, 11:36:26 PM
Post by: Brazilian Villain on May 04, 2025, 11:45:21 PM
Sad news. better tell my dad , he loved PM, probably his fave and saw him at 57 .
When I told Dad, it elicited an 'Ah, that's sad' despite him having a tough weekend himself. He then added 'he must have been a good age' (despite being just 3 years younger). :)
Post by: Villa Lew on May 04, 2025, 11:53:09 PM
RIP Peter
Post by: papa lazarou on May 04, 2025, 11:58:56 PM
A sad loss.
Post by: Louzie0 on May 05, 2025, 01:41:17 AM
Post by: edgysatsuma89 on May 05, 2025, 03:00:49 AM
Post by: Rory on May 05, 2025, 03:39:00 AM
Very sorry for your loss, Grocer.
Thank you mate
Also sorry, mate.
Post by: Rory on May 05, 2025, 03:40:09 AM
My dad's favourite player. My dad passed away 3 weeks ago. Rip x2 ❤️Sorry to hear this Grocer, hopefully your Dad, Peter McParland and a few other HEITS are having a game with jumpers for goalposts on a lovely meadow up in the clouds...God bless them all ..
*like*
Post by: Allan C on May 05, 2025, 07:58:24 AM
Post by: JD on May 05, 2025, 08:17:04 AM
Post by: sid1964 on May 05, 2025, 08:22:14 AM
Post by: Charlie8182 on May 05, 2025, 08:51:40 AM
Poignant that he should pass on the anniversary of our last FA Cup final win (4th May 1957).
Post by: Rigadon on May 05, 2025, 08:52:16 AM
Post by: Baldy on May 05, 2025, 09:02:26 AM
We remain a Villa mad family to this day.
A true legend in our household and in many thousands of others. RIP Peter.
Post by: dave shelley on May 05, 2025, 09:04:18 AM
My dad's favourite player. My dad passed away 3 weeks ago. Rip x2 ❤️
Condolences Grocer to you, your family and his friends.
Post by: Grocer on May 05, 2025, 09:23:05 AM
My dad's favourite player. My dad passed away 3 weeks ago. Rip x2 ❤️Sorry to hear this Grocer, hopefully your Dad, Peter McParland and a few other HEITS are having a game with jumpers for goalposts on a lovely meadow up in the clouds...God bless them all ..
Thanks Chip Butty, that's a lovely thought
Post by: waringpongo on May 05, 2025, 09:27:50 AM
Post by: PeterWithesShin on May 05, 2025, 09:28:32 AM
HEITS
Post by: robleflaneur on May 05, 2025, 09:55:07 AM
My all time Villa hero.Scoring the goals in the 57 final,being named in the 58 World Cup best eleven,mentioning my dad in his Sports Argus colum, signing his picture in my football annual and my earliest memories of Villa with him prominent down the left wing.
R I P Supermac.
Post by: PeterWithe on May 05, 2025, 09:55:53 AM
When did Johnny Dixon pass then?
Post by: cdbearsfan on May 05, 2025, 09:57:15 AM
Post by: PeterWithe on May 05, 2025, 09:57:57 AM
Post by: Stu82 on May 05, 2025, 10:07:03 AM
RIP legend.
Post by: Charlie8182 on May 05, 2025, 10:16:08 AM
(https://i.ibb.co/whwV8MqN/2025-05-05-10-00-33.jpg) (https://ibb.co/whwV8MqN)
My dad who's now 81 has this framed and signed picture from Peter, all the more poignant today.
Post by: TheTimVilla on May 05, 2025, 10:40:22 AM
Post by: Hillbilly on May 05, 2025, 10:49:41 AM
Post by: frankmosswasmyuncle on May 05, 2025, 11:12:52 AM
Met him briefly at a few events and he always surprised me with his stamina to talk to hundreds of Villa fans, sign autographs, pose for pictures, and how patient and impeccably pleasant he was.
Met him at the big 150 event in Brierley Hill last year and, along with Sammy Morgan, had a lovely long chat...coincidentally I was wearing my '57 replica shirt and he signed it for me. He was so lovely, clearly enjoyed the day and certainly made mine!
He was a very special Villain.
RIP dearest Peter.
Post by: amfy on May 05, 2025, 11:56:06 AM
It was a fabulous surprise for my dad and they chatted on the phone for some time and arranged to meet up at a later date. They actually met up a couple of times and kept in touch by phone.
My Dad always joked that Peter McParland probably enjoyed meeting him even more than he enjoyed meeting Peter McParland because so obviously he loved to hear all my Dad’s memories of his playing days.
Aston Villa really was his life.
Post by: Steve67 on May 05, 2025, 01:25:26 PM
Post by: adrenachrome on May 05, 2025, 01:45:07 PM
The reason I’m a Villa fan. Dad was from the same neck of woods and saw him play for Dundalk. When he came across, Peter was playing for Villa so it seemed only reasonable to follow the Villa. Thanks Peter and RIP.
Same here, although my Dad was from Fermanagh.
As an aside, in 1969 I was in the same form at school as Peter's nephew James who bore a remarkable resemblance to the legend. He was an excellent footballer as well.
Post by: dave shelley on May 05, 2025, 01:49:33 PM
Post by: PeterWithesShin on May 05, 2025, 02:03:27 PM
Quote
NI great McParland left mark on club and international stages
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cxeenyxz0pgo
Post by: passport1 on May 05, 2025, 02:25:48 PM
Post by: dave.woodhall on May 05, 2025, 03:20:01 PM
Was Peter ever married and did he have a family.? This is something I have never known.
He was married and I don't know how many children he gad but he said they were the reason he left Glentoran when the Troubles started.
Post by: Rudy Can't Fail on May 05, 2025, 04:04:49 PM
Glentoran Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former player-manager Peter McParland, aged 91.
'Peter joined Glentoran in 1968 following the departure of Alex Young, taking on the role of player-manager. In his debut season, he made 18 appearances and scored 10 goals before leading the club to a memorable Irish League title and City Cup double in the 1969–70 campaign. He retired from playing in 1971.
Before arriving at the Oval, Peter enjoyed a celebrated career with Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as spells in Canada and the United States.
An icon of Northern Ireland football, he earned 34 international caps and remains the nation’s top scorer at World Cup finals, famously scoring five goals at the 1958 tournament in Sweden.
Glentoran extends our heartfelt condolences to Peter’s family and friends as we remember a true great of the game'.
Post by: BC Villain on May 05, 2025, 04:19:22 PM
No Irish player has scored more goals at the World Cup and only Lineker and Kane have done so for a UK nation.
Pretty clear from reading the tributes that he was a phenomenal player in his time. I guess most non-Villa fans will remember him for the clash with Ray Wood, though it was a perfectly legal challenge at the time.
Post by: not3bad on May 05, 2025, 04:25:24 PM
Post by: Steve kirk on May 05, 2025, 04:33:51 PM
RIP Peter McParland xx
Post by: dave.woodhall on May 05, 2025, 05:52:07 PM
Speaking of Glentoran, were there no limits to Peter's talents?
Glentoran Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former player-manager Peter McParland, aged 91.
'Peter joined Glentoran in 1968 following the departure of Alex Young, taking on the role of player-manager. In his debut season, he made 18 appearances and scored 10 goals before leading the club to a memorable Irish League title and City Cup double in the 1969–70 campaign. He retired from playing in 1971.
When he was manager he used to have George Best's dad and his uncle on the stand, berating him because the Glens had turned down their wee Georgie as a lad.
Post by: Villan For Life on May 05, 2025, 06:32:06 PM
Post by: aj2k77 on May 05, 2025, 06:59:42 PM
Post by: dave shelley on May 05, 2025, 07:05:23 PM
Was Peter ever married and did he have a family.? This is something I have never known.
He was married and I don't know how many children he gad but he said they were the reason he left Glentoran when the Troubles started.
Thanks Dave.
Post by: dave.woodhall on May 05, 2025, 08:39:44 PM
Was Peter ever married and did he have a family.? This is something I have never known.
He was married and I don't know how many children he gad but he said they were the reason he left Glentoran when the Troubles started.
Thanks Dave.
"With his wife, Carol, McParland had two sons, Paul and Nicholas."
Post by: dcdavecollett on May 06, 2025, 02:13:30 AM
There was no chance of that happening with his former playing colleagues, Crowe and Wylie, in charge.
Post by: Footy-Vill on May 06, 2025, 07:50:21 AM
It's clear McPharland will always be remembered in Villa history.
Prayers and thoughts go out to his family.
Post by: rob_bridge on May 06, 2025, 03:31:37 PM
A few words from the Genial Giant and fellow Newry man.
When someone as great as Pat has Peter as his hero, I'll take that.
Post by: LeeB on May 06, 2025, 03:56:24 PM
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/football/northern-ireland/we-all-looked-up-to-peter-mcparland-pat-jennings-on-watching-1957-fa-cup-final-and-how-late-northern-ireland-legend-was-our-local-hero-5114768
A few words from the Genial Giant and fellow Newry man.
When someone as great as Pat has Peter as his hero, I'll take that.
My grandad was from Newry, what a sporting legacy with those two.
Post by: dave shelley on May 06, 2025, 05:18:48 PM
Post by: jwarry on May 16, 2025, 08:29:11 AM
Aston Villa player who also starred for Northern Ireland at the 1958 World Cup, dies aged 91
The Times
The 1957 FA Cup final was expected to be a procession for Manchester United. Matt Busby's brilliant “Babes” had already won the First Division and were heavy favourites to become the first team of the 20th century to win the league and cup double. In archive footage from Pathé News an old-fashioned voice reported breathlessly: “The Wembley pitch is like a palace lawn and it's perfect weather as Aston Villa in the striped shirts take the field with Manchester United, league champions and odds-on favourites to win that elusive double…”
Then a young Northern Irishman called Peter McParland rewrote the script in one of the most controversial moments in the long history of the competition. Disappointed to make poor contact with a header that bounced harmlessly into the arms of the United keeper Ray Wood, the young winger followed through in what he later described as a “fair shoulder charge”. Wood turned away at the last moment and McParland's head fractured Wood's jaw.
“Shoulder charges were in the game then,” recalled McParland, who was himself concussed. “The number of times I'd been belted by goalkeepers and had the wind knocked out of me … When I hit the deck, I got into a sitting position and 100,000 people were spinning. I'm laughing to myself, thinking, 'I'm finished here, they're going round in circles.'”
Wood was in a worse state. He was carried off and, given there
were no substitutes at the time, United's half back Jackie Blanchflower took over in goal. McParland played on but was booed every time he touched the ball. “I came into the dressing room at half-time and Bill Moore [Villa's assistantmanager] walked straight up to me and said, 'You can shut those people up, go out there and stick one in the back of the net.'”
McParland claimed that no keeper in the world would have saved his first goal from an inviting right-wing cross. “I got in between Duncan Edwards and Bill Foulkes and dived towards the ball with my head and Jackie Blanchflower didn't stand a chance.” He added a second by latching on to a rebound in the box and belting the ball into the top of the net.
On the final whistle, rather than celebrate with his team-mates McParland went over to console Wood, who had reappeared for the second half to play on the wing but was little more than a passenger. Wood assured McParland that his fractured jaw was an accident and he was not to blame. They would remain good friends until Wood's death in 2002, but the incident followed McParland. “When we got back to Villa Park with the cup there was a stack of mail waiting calling me every name in the book.” An unfailingly gracious and cheerful figure, McParland reckoned that over the decades he conducted some 400 media interviews about his challenge on Wood and was still receiving abuse from some United fans.
Yet some things are more important even than football. Nine months after the game, nothing about that day seemed to matter any more when McParland was stopped by a newspaper seller in Birmingham and told about the Munich Air Disaster that had left eight “Busby Babes” dead. McParland was a coffin bearer at the funeral of the great Duncan Edwards in Dudley.
Peter James McParland was born into a football-loving family in Newry, Northern Ireland, in 1934. Aged 15 he signed for Dundalk in Ireland, was put straight into the team and scored twice on his debut. That year he had a trial at Leeds United but returned home after one day because he felt homesick. He started an apprenticeship as a coppersmith for a railway company, but the scouts kept calling. Because his father had worked in Birmingham during the war and sent home reports on Aston Villa's games, they were the team that Peter supported. When Villa offered £3,880 to sign him in 1952 McParland's heart was set. He made his debut against Wolves later that same year aged 18.
A prototype of the modern inverted winger, McParland was tall with a powerful lolloping stride and cut inside from the left wing to score many goals with powerful shots using his favoured right foot. Jimmy Greaves rated him as “one of the most dangerous wingers I have ever seen, cutting through defences at tremendous speed and finishing with cannonball shots”.
A year after Villa's FA Cup win, McParland was part of the Northern Ireland team that went to the World Cup in Sweden, having secured a famous 2-1 victory over Italy in Belfast to qualify. With Harry Gregg in goal, Danny Blanchflower and Jimmy McIlroy orchestrating the play, and McParland and Billy Bingham on either side of the feisty centre forward Wilbur Cush, Northern Ireland won their first game against Czechoslovakia.
They were then, in McParland's estimation, “taken to the cleaners” in losing 3-1 to Argentina in the second group game. In the final group game not many gave them a chance of getting the result they needed against West Germany, the holders, until McParland's brace earned a 2-2 draw and a play-off against Czechoslovakia for a place in the quarter-final. First McParland scored from a rebound to leave the tie at 1-1 at the end of normal time. In extra time Blanchflower floated a free kick into the box and McParland connected with a close-range volley to send Northern Ireland through.
Weakened by injuries, Northern Ireland lost the quarter final to France 4-0, but returned home as heroes. Only France's Just Fontaine, Pelé and West Germany's Helmut Rahn scored more goals than McParland's five in the tournament.
Blanchflower, who would become a respected journalist and commentator on the game, later recalled: “Peter's inspirational play helped to put us on the world map. He was the finest ever inside forward in British football.”
The season after the World Cup, Villa were relegated from the First Division. McParland scored 22 goals as they were promoted back to the top flight at the first attempt in 1960. The next season he scored the winning goal for Villa in extra time to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory in the inaugural League Cup final. As such, McParland was the first player to score in the finals of both domestic cup competitions in English football.
After 341 games and 121 goals for Villa, he joined Wolves in January 1962 for £35,000. By then Stan Cullis's team was in decline. McParland scored ten goals in 21 games to stave off relegation, but in the 1963-63 season he lost his place in the team and was sold to Plymouth Argyle.
After a spell playing in Canada, he spent three years as player-manager of Glentoran in Northern Ireland, winning the league there in 1970 and securing a famous 1-0 win against Arsenal in the 1969 Intercity Fairs Cup. He later coached around the world. His job as the national coach of Libya ended in 1981 when Colonel Gaddafi summarily banned football. “Gaddafi just couldn't understand why only 22 people took part in a soccer match when thousands were standing around and watching. He thought everyone should take part,” McParland told The Sun.
He retired to Bournemouth with his wife Carol, with whom he had two sons, Paul and Nicholas, and would continue to attend Villa matches.
His only regret from the FA Cup final in 1957 was his £71 win bonus. “The marching band were on more than us, £100 a man.”
Peter McParland, footballer, was born on April
25, 1934. He died on May 4, 2025, aged 91
Post by: JD on May 16, 2025, 09:32:08 AM
Post by: Crown Hill on May 17, 2025, 04:17:05 PM
Post by: dorsetvillian on May 17, 2025, 04:39:51 PM
Post by: ChicagoLion on May 18, 2025, 08:44:13 AM
The Bournemouth Lions McParland was on display last night....Got a picture?
Post by: dorsetvillian on May 18, 2025, 11:16:30 AM
Post by: PeterWithe on May 19, 2025, 01:46:13 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/may/05/peter-mcparland-obituary
Post by: Exeter 77 on May 19, 2025, 07:01:33 PM
Post by: cdbearsfan on May 19, 2025, 07:02:23 PM
Post by: dave shelley on May 19, 2025, 08:21:40 PM
I didn’t know Peter was one the pallbearers at Duncan Edwards' funeral.
Neither did I until I read that piece the other day.
Post by: eamonn on May 19, 2025, 08:35:35 PM
Another obituary on Peter McParland, this one in The Guardian by Brian Glanville, his last before he too died last week.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/may/05/peter-mcparland-obituary
Jesus, that is a weird coincidence. I was sure Glanville had died years ago. I must have been mixing him up with some other esteemed, old football writer (did he used to write for "World Soccer" monthly magazine?).
Actually, for a second, when I clicked on Brian Glanville's name on your Guardian link, his most recent articles all seemed to be obituaries. It made me think - imagine a newspaper which had so many obits prepped (during slow news days) for the future, that the subject of the obituary outlived the person writing it. Sounds like the kernel of an idea for an episode of Inside Number Nine...
Post by: Exeter 77 on May 19, 2025, 08:37:44 PM
Post by: eamonn on May 19, 2025, 08:39:37 PM
Edit - it was Hugh McIlvanney
Post by: Crown Hill on May 19, 2025, 10:13:25 PM
Post by: PeterWithe on May 21, 2025, 01:21:59 PM
Another obituary on Peter McParland, this one in The Guardian by Brian Glanville, his last before he too died last week.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/may/05/peter-mcparland-obituary
Jesus, that is a weird coincidence. I was sure Glanville had died years ago. I must have been mixing him up with some other esteemed, old football writer (did he used to write for "World Soccer" monthly magazine?).
Actually, for a second, when I clicked on Brian Glanville's name on your Guardian link, his most recent articles all seemed to be obituaries. It made me think - imagine a newspaper which had so many obits prepped (during slow news days) for the future, that the subject of the obituary outlived the person writing it. Sounds like the kernel of an idea for an episode of Inside Number Nine...
As it happens, I was reading Glanvilles own obituary where it referred to his recent one of Peter McParland, so I read and linked it. It appears that Glanville only wrote obituaries for the Guardian, most of his career was at The Times and Sunday Times, although the obit hinted heavily that he was something of a money grabber and would write for anyone for a fee. Also a novelist.
Post by: dave.woodhall on June 03, 2025, 12:39:44 AM
https://petermcparland.muchloved.com/
Post by: Rory on June 03, 2025, 01:43:29 AM
I've just come across this, if anyone wishes to make a contribution.
https://petermcparland.muchloved.com/
Done, thanks Dave.
Post by: amfy on June 03, 2025, 10:03:13 AM
Post by: dorsetvillian on June 03, 2025, 02:02:29 PM
Post by: FailsworthVillan on June 11, 2025, 09:00:21 AM