Peter James McParland (25 April 1934 – 4 May 2025) was a Northern Irish footballer who played as an outside left. He was the last surviving member of the Aston Villa team which won the 1957 FA Cup, in which game he scored twice. McParland was the first player to score in and win both English major domestic cup finals.
McParland won 34 caps for Northern Ireland, scoring 10 international goals including the winner that sent the team into the World Cup quarter-finals in 1958. With five goals in 1958, he is Northern Ireland's leading scorer at a World Cup tournament.Graham Luney, "'He was a very honest guy': NI's 1958 World Cup hero Peter McParland fondly remembered after passing at age of 91". Belfast Telegraph, 4 May 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2025 His international captain and English Hall of Fame member Danny Blanchflower considered McParland "the finest ever inside forward in British football".Steven Beacom, 'The Newry-born striker who stole the limelight from Brazil legend Pele at World Cup finals in Sweden'. Belfast Telegraph, 5 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025
Club career Dundalk 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.
Aston Villa A fine header and striker of the ball, McParland holds a unique place in English football history as the first player to score in and win both English major domestic knockout finals.'NI great McParland left mark on club and international stages'. BBC Sport, 5 May 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025 During his time with Aston Villa, McParland was influenced by Jimmy Hogan. He later won the FA Cup in 1957, scoring twice in the final against favourites Manchester United but also becoming involved in an incident in which he shoulder-charged (at the time a legitimate form of challenge) the Manchester United goalkeeper, Ray Wood, after only six minutes which left Wood unconscious and with a broken cheekbone.'Peter McParland obituary: footballer in controversial FA Cup win'. The Times, 16 May 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025 McParland consoled Wood after the incident and they remained close until Wood's death. Following the Munich air disaster, McParland was a pall bearer at the funeral of Duncan Edwards.
McParland also won the Second Division title in 1960 and the League Cup in 1961 with Aston Villa. He was on the scoresheet for the second leg of the 1961 League Cup Final, when the home team overturned a 2–0 deficit against Rotherham United to win the second leg 3–0 at Villa Park and became the winners of the first Football League Cup.
McParland became the last surviving player from the 1957 FA Cup Final after the death of Bobby Charlton in October 2023.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle 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. 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. He ended his career as player-manager of Glentoran.
International career McParland scored twice in his debut against Wales in 1953–54 season and played very well for Northern Ireland in the 1958 FIFA World Cup in which he scored five goals and helped his team to the quarter-final against France.
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 was the last surviving member of the Northern Ireland team that played during the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
Team supporter Billy Hunter spoke of McParland's kindness to him during the 1958 World Cup Finals.Steven Beacom, "'The Northern Ireland team did a whip round for me so I could stay on at 1958 World Cup': Billy Hunter (93) recalls Swedish adventure". Belfast Telegraph, 18 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025
Death McParland died on 4 May 2025, at the age of 91.
Career statistics Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McParland goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Peter McParlandNo.DateVenueOpponentResultCompetition1 31 March 1954 Wrexham, Wales 2–0 1954 British Home Championship2 3 11 June 1958 Halmstad, Sweden 1–3 1958 FIFA World Cup4 15 June 1958 Malmö, Sweden 2–2 1958 FIFA World Cup5 6 17 June 1958 Malmö, Sweden 2–1 1958 FIFA World Cup7 8 22 April 1959 Wrexham, Wales 4–1 1959 British Home Championship9 10 9 November 1960 Glasgow, Scotland 2–5 1961 British Home Championship
Honours Aston Villa FA Cup: 1956–57 Football League Cup: 1960–61
See also List of FIFA World Cup top goalscorers
References
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