Alan Parkes
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alan Parkes[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 12 January 1929[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Hartlepool,[1] County Durham, England | ||
| Date of death | April 2013 (aged 84) | ||
| Place of death | Stockton-on-Tees, England | ||
| Playing position | Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| – | Sunderland | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| – | Sunderland | 0 | (0) |
| 194?–1949 | Murton Colliery Welfare | ||
| 1949–195? | Charlton Athletic | 0 | (0) |
| 1950–195? | Tonbridge | ||
| 1955 | Darlington | 1 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Alan Parkes (12 January 1929 - April 2013) was an English former footballer who played as a centre forward in the Football League for Darlington and in non-league football for Murton Colliery Welfare and Tonbridge. He was on the books of Charlton Athletic without representing them in League football.[1][2]
Life and career
Parkes was born in Hartlepool, County Durham, where he attended the Technical Day School.[3] He began his football career with Sunderland, but never progressed past the junior teams, despite the view of the pseudonymous "Argus" in the Sunderland Echo that "from what I have seen of him I would prefer him to at least two of the players I have seen leading both the Reserves and the A team in the past 12 months".[4][5]
He moved on to North Eastern League club Murton Colliery Welfare, from where he was transferred to First Division club Charlton Athletic in September 1949 for a £1,000 fee, "easily a record in the history of the Murton C.W. club".[6] He scored 49 goals in his first season for Charlton's reserve and A teams, and was allowed to join Southern League club Tonbridge under a "gentleman's agreement" between the two clubs.[7][8] He made an impressive debut in the FA Cup win against Gravesend & Northfleet: "though he did not score himself his astute handling of the Gravesend defence and his distribution of the ball had much to do with the Tonbridge superiority".[9] A few days later – he was on National Service at the time – he was the only non-league player to be selected for the Army XI to play the Civil Service.[10]
Parkes never appeared for Charlton in a league match, and returned to the north-east of England where he signed for, and played one Football League match for, Third Division North club Darlington.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (1998). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–1998. Queen Anne Press. p. 421. ISBN 978-1-85291-585-8.
- ↑ "Darlington: 1946/47–1988/89 & 1990/91–2009/10". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Players Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ Allan, Jim (26 February 2008). "Memories of old Tech school". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ 'Argus' (28 September 1949). "Sunderland to watch Case again?". Sunderland Echo. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Alan Parkes". Barry Hugman's Footballers Post-War Premier & Football League Players' Records. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ "Charlton pay £1,000 for Parkes". Sunderland Echo. 30 September 1949. p. 12 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "New signings by town clubs". Kent & Sussex Courier. 29 September 1950. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Sports Editor (6 October 1950). "Sport in the news. Shout—don't jeer and barrack". Kent & Sussex Courier. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "One goal kept Angels in F.A. Cup". Kent & Sussex Courier. 6 October 1950. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Sports Editor (13 October 1950). "Sport in the news. Both are big attractions". Kent & Sussex Courier. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).