Charlie Parry
Encyclopedia
Charles Frederick "Charlie" Parry (1870 – 4 February 1922) was a Welsh footballer who played as a defender
for Everton
in the 1890s, helping them to win the Football League
championship in 1891. He also made thirteen appearances for the Wales national football team
including four as captain. Later in his career, he returned to Wales where he won the Welsh Cup
with Aberystwyth Town
in 1900. He subsequently fell on hard times and was the beneficiary of three testimonial match
es.
, near Oswestry
. He was spotted playing junior football by William Nunnerley (who was later to become secretary of the Football Association of Wales
and an international referee) who signed him for the Chester St Oswalds club.
who were keen to sign him, but initially Parry was reluctant to move to the English club saying that he was worried that he was "not class enough". Despite this, Parry was persuaded and signed for Everton in the spring of 1889. His first appearance for Everton came in a friendly against Witton on 8 April, when he scored the final goal in a 4–1 victory. According to the match report in The Liverpool Mercury the spectators "seemed to be proud of the capabilities of the last acquision to the team".
Parry made his Everton league debut in the opening match of the Football League's second season, scoring in a 3–2 victory against Blackburn Rovers
. Parry was sent off in the 81st minute for "persistently fouling Forrest
". He followed this with goals in the next two matches, against Burnley
and Wolverhampton Wanderers
. Parry was ever-present as Everton finished the season as runners-up in the league.
Parry was an extremely versatile player who was equally comfortable at full back or half back; he possessed good positional sense, a strong tackle and good speed and was an extremely accurate kicker. He was an expert at free-kicks, and over 60 yards he was able to place the ball "on the required spot". He did, however have a reputation for "bashing goalkeepers"; nonetheless he became a regular in the Everton side for six years and was an "exceedingly popular player".
For the 1890–91 season, Parry was paid a weekly wage of £2 and made 13 appearances, spending the early part of the season in the reserves, with new signing William Campbell taking his place in the first team. Following an injury to Alex Latta
sustained in a friendly against Third Lanark
, David Kirkwood was moved to outside right with Parry being recalled at centre half for the match against Derby County
on 4 October. "The combination worked well – so well" that the match ended in a 7–0 victory to Everton, who moved to the top of the table. Parry retained his place for the following five matches, but after a run of three defeats, he lost his place for the match against Sunderland
on 15 November. Parry was eventually recalled to the team on Boxing Day
taking over from Campbell at left half in the 3–2 victory against Accrington Stanley
retaining his place in the side for the rest of the season. Everton finished the season as champions of the Football League for the first time.
Parry got married in March 1891; the club agreed to pay him "an advance of £15 out of next season's wages . . . in consideration of (his) marriage". For the 1891–92 season his wages were increased to £2 per week during the summer and £2.10.0 during the winter.
Parry played at left-half in the first match of the 1891–92 season, a 4–0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion
but then lost his place to Alex Lochhead. (Lochhead was in turn replaced after four matches, by Hope Robertson
.) Parry requested to leave the club in October 1891; the board agreed to release him and gave him "full permission to join any other Club on repayment of £34 received during Summer months together with the amount due to the club for loans advanced."
During the summer of 1892, off-field disputes led to Everton leaving the Anfield
stadium and moving across Stanley Park
to a new stadium at Goodison Park
.
Parry was re-engaged by Everton in December 1892, on wages of £2 per week and returned to the first team in January 1893, when he took over from Jimmy Jamieson at left back for the match at Sunderland
. Parry played in various positions in ten matches over the next three months until losing his place at left half to Alec Stewart
for the final match of the season, following a 3–0 defeat at Burnley
. During this period, Everton reached the final
of the FA Cup
, but Parry was not selected for any of the cup matches.
In September 1893, Parry was suspended for two weeks with no pay for drunkenness. For the 1893–94 season, manager Dick Molyneux
used a reasonably settled first team, with eleven players appearing in 20 or more of the 30 league matches. As a result, it was not until 23 December that Parry played his first game of the season, replacing England
international Bob Howarth
at right back after Howarth suffered "lameness". The match against Sheffield Wednesday
ended in an 8–1 victory, with four goals from Jack Southworth
, and was followed a week later by a 7–1 victory over West Bromwich Albion
in which Southworth scored a further six goals. For the latter match, Parry lined up alongside his fellow Welsh international, Smart Arridge
at left back. Parry retained his place in the side for a further seven matches, switching to left back on Howarth's return, but was replaced by Dickie Boyle on 24 March, after a run of four defeats. On 19 March, Parry had again been in trouble with the board "for not attending training etc."; as a result he was suspended for a fortnight and had his bonuses revoked. Parry was recalled to the team for the last two matches of the season.
Following the departure of Bob Howarth at the start of the 1894–95 season, Parry "made the left back his own" with former Scotland
international James Adams alongside him on the right. Parry only missed three matches as Everton finished as runners-up in the Football League
, five points behind Sunderland
.
Parry only made two appearances for Everton in the 1895–96 season, with his final appearance coming in a 3–4 defeat at Aston Villa
on 30 September 1895. In this match, Jack Bell
scored a hat-trick
for Everton but Parry conceded a penalty
by "deliberately handling" the ball in the area. The penalty was taken by Ireland and England
international Jack Reynolds
, but his kick hit the post and went out of play.
In his six years at Everton, Parry made 94 appearances in Football League and FA Cup matches, scoring five goals.
in Newtown and joined the local club, then playing in the Shropshire League. In 1897, he helped Newtown reach the final of the Welsh Cup
, where they were defeated 2–0 by Wrexham.
In November 1898, Everton played a match at Newtown for the benefit of Parry; the match ended in a 5–1 victory for the visitors with Wilfred Oldham scoring a hat-trick.
In 1899, Parry joined Aberystwyth Town
; during his season there, he again reached the Welsh Cup Final, defeating Druids
3–0 to take the trophy.
Parry returned to his home town, Oswestry
, in 1900 where Oswestry United were in need of a goalkeeper. Parry became their "custodian" and "performed creditably" over the next six years before eventually retiring in 1906.
In April 1904, Parry was again the beneficiary of a testimonial match
when Liverpool
visited Park Hall
to play Oswestry Town
. The visitors won the match 4–0, with two goals from John Carlin.
, playing at left half in the 1891 British Home Championship
match against England
played at Newcastle Road, Sunderland on 7 March 1891, thus becoming the first Everton player to represent Wales. England won the match 4–1, with two of England's goals coming from Parry's Everton team-mates, Edgar Chadwick
and Alf Milward
. He kept his place in the Wales team for the next match against Scotland
, two weeks later, at the Racecourse Ground
, Wrexham
. Parry was hurt in the first half and was injured again shortly after half time and was unable to play on, leaving Wales to complete the match with ten men. Scotland came from behind to win the match 4–3, with a late goal from Robert Boyd of Mossend Swifts. In their annual player assessment, the Football Association of Wales
described Parry in 1891 as "a good half back but out of condition and got injured; played a splendid game v. England".
As a result of his being out of favour with Everton, Parry was not selected for any of Wales's matches in the 1892 British Home Championship
but was recalled to the side as a fullback for one match the following year, a 6–0 defeat against England in March 1893. His next international appearance came a year later, when he scored an own goal
in a 5–1 defeat by England on 12 March 1894. Three of England's goals came from John Veitch
in his only international appearance.
Parry's best match for Wales came in the 1–1 draw against England in March 1895. For the next three matches, Parry was appointed captain in the absence of James Trainer
, leading his team to a 6–1 victory over Ireland on 29 February 1896, with two goals each from Billy Lewis
and Billy Meredith
, although this was followed by a 9–1 defeat by England, for whom Steve Bloomer
scored five goals. In the latter match, he lined up alongside his former Everton colleague, Smart Arridge
.
Despite dropping out of the Football League
and playing non-league football
, Parry retained his international place until 1898. In his thirteen international appearances, Wales won only one match, with two draws and ten defeats.
Parry's health continued to deteriorate and he died on 4 February 1922, leaving a widow and six children. At the Everton board meeting on 7 February, a letter was read from the vicar of Oswestry informing the club of Parry's death. It was "decided that as we had given him assistance last year, the question be left over".
Newtown
Aberystwyth Town
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
for Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in the 1890s, helping them to win the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
championship in 1891. He also made thirteen appearances for the Wales national football team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
including four as captain. Later in his career, he returned to Wales where he won the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
with Aberystwyth Town
Aberystwyth Town F.C.
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a football team, playing in the Welsh Premier League.The club was founded in 1884, and plays at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth, where their ground accommodates 5,000 spectators with 1,002 of that capacity seated....
in 1900. He subsequently fell on hard times and was the beneficiary of three testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
es.
Early days
Parry was born in LlansilinLlansilin
Llansilin is a village and local government community in Powys, Wales, about 6 miles west of Oswestry. The community, which includes Llansilin village, a large rural area and the hamlets of Molfre and Rhiwlas as well as the remote parish of Llangadwaladr, had a population of 648 at the 2001...
, near Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
. He was spotted playing junior football by William Nunnerley (who was later to become secretary of the Football Association of Wales
Football Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of association football in Wales. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB.Established in 1876 , it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and is one of the four associations The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is the...
and an international referee) who signed him for the Chester St Oswalds club.
Everton
Parry soon came to the attention of EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
who were keen to sign him, but initially Parry was reluctant to move to the English club saying that he was worried that he was "not class enough". Despite this, Parry was persuaded and signed for Everton in the spring of 1889. His first appearance for Everton came in a friendly against Witton on 8 April, when he scored the final goal in a 4–1 victory. According to the match report in The Liverpool Mercury the spectators "seemed to be proud of the capabilities of the last acquision to the team".
Parry made his Everton league debut in the opening match of the Football League's second season, scoring in a 3–2 victory against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. Parry was sent off in the 81st minute for "persistently fouling Forrest
Jimmy Forrest (footballer)
James Henry Forrest was an English footballer whose career spanned the transition from amateurism to professionalism in English football in the 1880s and 1890s...
". He followed this with goals in the next two matches, against Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. Parry was ever-present as Everton finished the season as runners-up in the league.
Parry was an extremely versatile player who was equally comfortable at full back or half back; he possessed good positional sense, a strong tackle and good speed and was an extremely accurate kicker. He was an expert at free-kicks, and over 60 yards he was able to place the ball "on the required spot". He did, however have a reputation for "bashing goalkeepers"; nonetheless he became a regular in the Everton side for six years and was an "exceedingly popular player".
For the 1890–91 season, Parry was paid a weekly wage of £2 and made 13 appearances, spending the early part of the season in the reserves, with new signing William Campbell taking his place in the first team. Following an injury to Alex Latta
Alex Latta
Alex Latta was a Scottish footballer who made ten appearances, mostly at outside right, in Everton's Football League title winning side of 1890/91....
sustained in a friendly against Third Lanark
Third Lanark A.C.
Third Lanark Athletic Club was a football club that originally existed between 1872 and 1967, 95 years in existence, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Third Lanark were known as Thirds, the Warriors, the Redcoats and the Hi Hi's...
, David Kirkwood was moved to outside right with Parry being recalled at centre half for the match against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
on 4 October. "The combination worked well – so well" that the match ended in a 7–0 victory to Everton, who moved to the top of the table. Parry retained his place for the following five matches, but after a run of three defeats, he lost his place for the match against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
on 15 November. Parry was eventually recalled to the team on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
taking over from Campbell at left half in the 3–2 victory against Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
retaining his place in the side for the rest of the season. Everton finished the season as champions of the Football League for the first time.
Parry got married in March 1891; the club agreed to pay him "an advance of £15 out of next season's wages . . . in consideration of (his) marriage". For the 1891–92 season his wages were increased to £2 per week during the summer and £2.10.0 during the winter.
Parry played at left-half in the first match of the 1891–92 season, a 4–0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
but then lost his place to Alex Lochhead. (Lochhead was in turn replaced after four matches, by Hope Robertson
Hope Robertson
Hope Ramsey Robertson was a footballer who played in the Football League for Bootle, Everton and Walsall Town Swifts.-References:...
.) Parry requested to leave the club in October 1891; the board agreed to release him and gave him "full permission to join any other Club on repayment of £34 received during Summer months together with the amount due to the club for loans advanced."
During the summer of 1892, off-field disputes led to Everton leaving the Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
stadium and moving across Stanley Park
Stanley Park, Liverpool
Stanley Park is a park in Liverpool, England, designed by Edward Kemp, which was opened on 14 May 1870 by the Mayor of Liverpool, Joseph Hubback. It is significant among Liverpool's parks on account of its layout and architecture. It has a grand terrace with expansive bedding schemes that were...
to a new stadium at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
.
Parry was re-engaged by Everton in December 1892, on wages of £2 per week and returned to the first team in January 1893, when he took over from Jimmy Jamieson at left back for the match at Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. Parry played in various positions in ten matches over the next three months until losing his place at left half to Alec Stewart
Alec Stewart (footballer)
Alexander "Alec" Stewart was a Scottish professional association footballer who played as a wing half.-References:...
for the final match of the season, following a 3–0 defeat at Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
. During this period, Everton reached the final
1893 FA Cup Final
The 1893 FA Cup Final was an association football game contested by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton. Wolves won by a single goal, scored by Harry Allen....
of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, but Parry was not selected for any of the cup matches.
In September 1893, Parry was suspended for two weeks with no pay for drunkenness. For the 1893–94 season, manager Dick Molyneux
Dick Molyneux
Dick Molyneux was an English footballer manager. He took controlof Everton F.C. from 1889 to 1901, and then managed Brentford F.C. from 1903 to 1906.- External links :*...
used a reasonably settled first team, with eleven players appearing in 20 or more of the 30 league matches. As a result, it was not until 23 December that Parry played his first game of the season, replacing England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international Bob Howarth
Bob Howarth
Bob Howarth was a leading footballer in the 1880s and 1890s. He was an England international and was a member of the Preston North End side that became famous as "The Invincibles".-Career:...
at right back after Howarth suffered "lameness". The match against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
ended in an 8–1 victory, with four goals from Jack Southworth
Jack Southworth
John Southworth , was a footballer who played in the early days of professional football for Blackburn Rovers and Everton as well as being capped three times for England...
, and was followed a week later by a 7–1 victory over West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
in which Southworth scored a further six goals. For the latter match, Parry lined up alongside his fellow Welsh international, Smart Arridge
Smart Arridge
Smart Arridge was a footballer who played in the Football League for Bootle, Everton, New Brighton Tower and Stockport County. He also played for Wales....
at left back. Parry retained his place in the side for a further seven matches, switching to left back on Howarth's return, but was replaced by Dickie Boyle on 24 March, after a run of four defeats. On 19 March, Parry had again been in trouble with the board "for not attending training etc."; as a result he was suspended for a fortnight and had his bonuses revoked. Parry was recalled to the team for the last two matches of the season.
Following the departure of Bob Howarth at the start of the 1894–95 season, Parry "made the left back his own" with former Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
international James Adams alongside him on the right. Parry only missed three matches as Everton finished as runners-up in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, five points behind Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
.
Parry only made two appearances for Everton in the 1895–96 season, with his final appearance coming in a 3–4 defeat at Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
on 30 September 1895. In this match, Jack Bell
Jack Bell
John Bell was an early Scottish football player and manager. He was instrumental in organising the Association Footballers' Union in February 1898....
scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
for Everton but Parry conceded a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
by "deliberately handling" the ball in the area. The penalty was taken by Ireland and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international Jack Reynolds
Jack Reynolds (footballer born 1869)
John "Jack" Reynolds was a footballer who played for, among others, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Celtic. As an international he played five times for Ireland before it emerged that he was actually English and he subsequently played eight times for England...
, but his kick hit the post and went out of play.
In his six years at Everton, Parry made 94 appearances in Football League and FA Cup matches, scoring five goals.
Later career
Following a short-lived move to Ardwick, for whom he made no first-team appearances, Parry returned to Wales in December 1895 when he took a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Newtown and joined the local club, then playing in the Shropshire League. In 1897, he helped Newtown reach the final of the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
, where they were defeated 2–0 by Wrexham.
In November 1898, Everton played a match at Newtown for the benefit of Parry; the match ended in a 5–1 victory for the visitors with Wilfred Oldham scoring a hat-trick.
In 1899, Parry joined Aberystwyth Town
Aberystwyth Town F.C.
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a football team, playing in the Welsh Premier League.The club was founded in 1884, and plays at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth, where their ground accommodates 5,000 spectators with 1,002 of that capacity seated....
; during his season there, he again reached the Welsh Cup Final, defeating Druids
Druids F.C.
Ruabon Druids F.C. were a football club based in village of Ruabon near Wrexham. The club was founded in 1869 as Plasmadoc F.C. by David Thomson and his brother, George, of Ruabon...
3–0 to take the trophy.
Parry returned to his home town, Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, in 1900 where Oswestry United were in need of a goalkeeper. Parry became their "custodian" and "performed creditably" over the next six years before eventually retiring in 1906.
In April 1904, Parry was again the beneficiary of a testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
when Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
visited Park Hall
Park Hall (football ground)
Park Hall Stadium is the home ground of The New Saints in Oswestry.Oswestry Town first used the former council-owned stadium on 28 August 1993 but, after the club's financial problems and the merger with TNS, the ground fell into disrepair and was purchased by Mike Harris.After redevelopment at a...
to play Oswestry Town
Oswestry Town F.C.
Oswestry Town F.C. was a football club, formerly playing in the League of Wales.The club was founded as Oswestry United in 1860, which meant they were one of the world's oldest football clubs. Matches were latterly played at Park Hall stadium, Oswestry, after a spell at Victoria Road...
. The visitors won the match 4–0, with two goals from John Carlin.
International career
Parry made his international debut for WalesWales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, playing at left half in the 1891 British Home Championship
1891 British Home Championship
The 1891 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. Despite strong showings from all four teams, England eventually won the trophy with victories in all three games including, as at the 1890 and 1892 competitions, matches against Wales and...
match against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
played at Newcastle Road, Sunderland on 7 March 1891, thus becoming the first Everton player to represent Wales. England won the match 4–1, with two of England's goals coming from Parry's Everton team-mates, Edgar Chadwick
Edgar Chadwick
Edgar Wallace Chadwick was a left-sided footballer who had a long and distinguished career with Everton during the 1890s...
and Alf Milward
Alf Milward
Alfred Weatherell Milward was a professional footballer who played in the 1893 and 1897 FA Cup Finals for Everton and in the 1900 FA Cup Final for Southampton.-Playing career:...
. He kept his place in the Wales team for the next match against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, two weeks later, at the Racecourse Ground
Racecourse Ground
The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League...
, Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
. Parry was hurt in the first half and was injured again shortly after half time and was unable to play on, leaving Wales to complete the match with ten men. Scotland came from behind to win the match 4–3, with a late goal from Robert Boyd of Mossend Swifts. In their annual player assessment, the Football Association of Wales
Football Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of association football in Wales. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB.Established in 1876 , it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and is one of the four associations The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is the...
described Parry in 1891 as "a good half back but out of condition and got injured; played a splendid game v. England".
As a result of his being out of favour with Everton, Parry was not selected for any of Wales's matches in the 1892 British Home Championship
1892 British Home Championship
The 1892 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. It was won by England who won all three games against their rivals, even though they played two games on the same day against Wales and Ireland, providing a...
but was recalled to the side as a fullback for one match the following year, a 6–0 defeat against England in March 1893. His next international appearance came a year later, when he scored an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
in a 5–1 defeat by England on 12 March 1894. Three of England's goals came from John Veitch
John Veitch (footballer)
John Gould Veitch was an English amateur footballer, who played for the Corinthian club in the 1890s. He made one appearance for England playing at inside left in 1894, in which he scored a hat trick.-Family and education:...
in his only international appearance.
Parry's best match for Wales came in the 1–1 draw against England in March 1895. For the next three matches, Parry was appointed captain in the absence of James Trainer
James Trainer
James Trainer was a Welsh association football player of the Victorian era...
, leading his team to a 6–1 victory over Ireland on 29 February 1896, with two goals each from Billy Lewis
Billy Lewis (footballer)
Billy Lewis was a Welsh international footballer in the late 19th Century who played as a centre forward.He played for Bangor City before joining Everton for a brief period in the first ever season of The Football League, making 3 league appearances with the Toffees in September 1888...
and Billy Meredith
Billy Meredith
William Henry "Billy" Meredith was a Welsh footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each domestic trophy in the English football league and also gained 48 caps for Wales, for whom he...
, although this was followed by a 9–1 defeat by England, for whom Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County, Middlesbrough and England during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin', is played before every home game...
scored five goals. In the latter match, he lined up alongside his former Everton colleague, Smart Arridge
Smart Arridge
Smart Arridge was a footballer who played in the Football League for Bootle, Everton, New Brighton Tower and Stockport County. He also played for Wales....
.
Despite dropping out of the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and playing non-league football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
, Parry retained his international place until 1898. In his thirteen international appearances, Wales won only one match, with two draws and ten defeats.
International appearances
Parry made 13 appearances for Wales in official international matches, as follows:| Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Goals | Position | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 March 1891 | Newcastle Road, Sunderland | 1–4 | 0 | LH | 1891 British Home Championship 1891 British Home Championship The 1891 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. Despite strong showings from all four teams, England eventually won the trophy with victories in all three games including, as at the 1890 and 1892 competitions, matches against Wales and... |
|
| 21 March 1891 | Racecourse Ground Racecourse Ground The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League... , Wrexham Wrexham Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England... |
3–4 | 0 | LH | 1891 British Home Championship | |
| 13 March 1893 | Victoria Ground Victoria Ground Victoria Ground may refer to:*Victoria Ground, the former name of Hartlepool United’s ground Victoria Park.*Victoria Ground, Stoke City’s ground from 1878 to 1997.*Victoria Ground, current home of Bromsgrove Rovers... , Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area... |
0–6 | 0 | LB | 1893 British Home Championship 1893 British Home Championship The 1893 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. The competition was won and dominated by England, who beat all three rival teams and scored 17 goals in just three matches. Fred Spiksley claimed four and Walter Gilliat scored a hat-trick... |
|
| 12 March 1894 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 1–5 | Own goal Own goal An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents.... |
RB | 1894 British Home Championship 1894 British Home Championship The 1894 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. It was won by Scotland in a close competition in which neither Scotland nor England lost a game but Scotland managed to accumalate one more point than England... |
|
| 18 March 1895 | Queen's Club Queen's Club The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in West Kensington, London, England. Founded in 1886, the Queen's Club was the world's first multipurpose sports complex and named after Queen Victoria, its first patron... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
1–1 | 0 | RB | 1895 British Home Championship 1895 British Home Championship The 1895 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by England, who like second placed Wales, did not loose a game. Wales however failed to win one either, scoring three draws and so finishing behind England.... |
|
| 23 March 1895 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 2–2 | 0 | LB (Capt.) | 1895 British Home Championship | |
| 29 February 1896 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 6–1 | 0 | RB (Capt.) | 1896 British Home Championship 1896 British Home Championship The 1896 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. Despite England achieving an almost record 9–1 victory over Wales, the trophy was won by Scotland who won two and drew one of their matches, the draw... |
|
| 16 March 1896 | Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World... , Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... |
1–9 | 0 | RB (Capt.) | 1896 British Home Championship | |
| 21 March 1896 | Carolina Port Carolina Port Carolina Port was a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland. The sport's first major venue in the city, it was an early home of Dundee F.C. and staged Dundee's first international match in 1896.-History:... , Dundee Dundee Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea... |
0–4 | 0 | RB | 1896 British Home Championship | |
| 6 March 1897 | Solitude Ground Solitude (football ground) Solitude is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Cliftonville. The stadium holds 6,224, but is currently restricted to 2,180 under safety legislation. The stadium was built in 1890.... , Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... |
3–4 | 0 | LB | 1897 British Home Championship 1897 British Home Championship The 1897 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. It was won by Scotland after a late goal at The Crystal Palace which beat England to the trophy despite England's dominance of the competition up to that point... |
|
| 19 February 1898 | The Oval, Llandudno | 0–1 | 0 | RB (Capt.) | 1898 British Home Championship 1898 British Home Championship The 1898 British Home Championship was the fifteenth edition of the annual football tournament played between the British Home Nations. England won the trophy after whitewashing all three opponents and taking the maximum six points... |
|
| 19 March 1898 | Fir Park Fir Park Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League club Motherwell.- History :... , Motherwell |
2–5 | 0 | RB | 1898 British Home Championship | |
| 28 March 1898 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 0–3 | 0 | RB | 1898 British Home Championship | |
| Win | Draw | Loss |
Key
- LB — Left back
- RB — Right back
- LH — Left half
- Capt. — Captain
Life after football
Following his retirement from playing, Parry became a referee in the Birmingham and District League. After he was forced to quit through ill-health, he worked for Oswestry United as a groundsman/caretaker. By 1921, he had fallen on hard times and, after an appeal by the mayor and vicar of Oswestry, Everton granted a donation to him of £10.10.0 and arranged a friendly at Oswestry to raise funds for him. The match was held on 14 April at Oswestry in front of 3,000 spectators with Oswestry winning 1–0.Parry's health continued to deteriorate and he died on 4 February 1922, leaving a widow and six children. At the Everton board meeting on 7 February, a letter was read from the vicar of Oswestry informing the club of Parry's death. It was "decided that as we had given him assistance last year, the question be left over".
Honours
EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
- Football League champions: 1890–91
- Football League runners-up: 1889–90
- Football League runners-up: 1894–95
Newtown
- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
finalists: 1897
Aberystwyth Town
Aberystwyth Town F.C.
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a football team, playing in the Welsh Premier League.The club was founded in 1884, and plays at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth, where their ground accommodates 5,000 spectators with 1,002 of that capacity seated....
- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
winners: 1900