Peter McParland

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. His international captain and English Hall of Fame member Danny Blanchflower considered McParland "the finest ever inside forward in British football".

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. 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. 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.

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.

Honours Aston Villa FA Cup, 1956–57; Football League Cup, 1960–61