John Parke (footballer)

John Parke (6 August 1937 – 27 August 2011) was a footballer, who played for Linfield, Hibernian, Sunderland, Vancouver Royal Canadians, KV Mechelen and the Northern Ireland national football team as a full back.

For other people with the same name, see John Parke (disambiguation).

John Parke

Personal information
Date of birth	(1937-08-06)6 August 1937
Place of birth	Bangor, Northern Ireland
Date of death	27 August 2011(2011-08-27) (aged 74)
Place of death	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Playing position(s)	Defender
Youth career
	Cliftonville
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1954–1963	Linfield
1963–1964	Hibernian	21	(0)
1964–1968	Sunderland	85	(0)
1967	→ Vancouver Royal Canadians (loan)[1]	7	(0)
1968	KV Mechelen	39	(0)
Total		152+	(0+)
National team
1963–1967	Northern Ireland	14	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

He started his professional footballing career in his native Northern Ireland with Cliftonville before joining their rivals Linfield in 1954.[2] Having been a key player in the club's 'Seven Trophy' season of 1961/62, he moved to Scotland with Hibernian in 1963 where he made 23 appearances, scoring no goals. Parke moved to Sunderland in November 1964[3] and made his debut on 21 November, against Sheffield United in a 3–0 defeat at Bramall Lane.[4] He went on to make 85 league appearances for the club.[5] He joined Belgian club KV Mechelen before retiring in 1968.[2]

International career

He won his first cap for Northern Ireland on 12 November 1963 in a 2–1 win against Scotland. He went on to make a further 13 caps for his country, making it a total of 14 caps, with 0 goals.[2]

Death

Parke died of Alzheimer's disease in 2011, aged 74.[6]

References

1. http://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/P/Parke.John.htm
2. "John Parke". Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
3. "John Parke". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
4. "Sheffield United 3-0 Sunderland". The Stat Cat. Archived from the original on 20 May 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
5. "John Parke". The Stat Cat. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
6. Notice of death in The Belfast Telegraph

External links

• Newcastle Fans profile