Villa Legend Who Also Shone At Molineux

Following last week’s announcement about David Woodfield comes the sad news that Peter McParland has also died.

The forward was the oldest surviving former Wolves player, although he is much more closely associated with Villa after his 121 goals for them included both in the 1957 FA Cup final against Manchester United.

McParland was also a Northern Ireland legend, having scored five goals for them in their run to the quarter-final of the 1958 World Cup.

His impact at Molineux should nevertheless be fully acknowledged. Wolves were in considerable danger of going down when he arrived from Villa early in 1962, his seven goals in only 15 League games that season helping secure a final placing of 18th, only four points above relegated duo Cardiff and Chelsea.

On his debut, he netted, along with another new signing, Chris Crowe, in a season-changing 3-1 home win over champions Tottenham and included a brace against Bolton later in his scoring rampage.

Used either as a left-winger or centre-forward, he made a similar but briefer impact the following season despite being out of the picture in the early weeks. He hit two goals away to the new title-holders, Ipswich, and one in a spectacular 5-4 defeat at Arsenal.

Despite an overall Wolves record of ten goals in only 21 senior games, he was eased out after six first-team appearances in 1962-63 and predictably became a big hit in the Second Division when he joined Plymouth.

Newry-born McParland, who was 91, also served Dundalk, Worcester, Peterborough, Toronto Inter-Roma, Atlanta Chiefs and Glentoran as a player.

We at Wolves Heroes were delighted to interview him two or three times in later life by phone and learn much more about his coaching career, in Libya in particular.

He was a good friend of Derek Dougan’s and a Wolves team-mate at senior level of Woodfield, about whom we still have to publish our definitive obituary.

At Villa, McParland also scored the decisive goal in the two-leg League Cup final victory over Rotherham in 1961.

Such was his fame there that his picture was shown on the big screen today during a minute’s applause before the Villa-Manchester City FA Youth Cup final meeting.

Capped 34 times by his country, he was the last surviving member of the Villa team who won at Wembley in 1957 and the last survivor among Northern Ireland’s 1958 World Cup heroes.

We send our deepest condolences to Peter’s family and close friends, who recently heard that he – a resident on England’s South Coast – had suffered a stroke.