For the former and goalkeeper of the same name see Phil Parkes (footballer born 1950).

Phil Parkes (born 14 July 1947 in West Bromwich) is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 former professional football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 goalkeeper

Goalkeeper (football)

In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...

. He was 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...

' first-choice keeper for much of the late 1960s and early '70s.

Career

Nicknamed "Lofty" for his booming kicks upfield, Parkes joined Wolves in 1962 straight from school and turned professional two years later. After several years in the reserve league, he made his first-team debut on 19 November 1966, saving a penalty in a 3-2 win over . For the following nine seasons, Parkes missed few Wolves games and — over the 1971–72

1971-72 in English football

The 1971–72 season was the 92nd season of competitive football in England.-FA Cup:Leeds United overcame holders Arsenal to win the 1972 FA Cup Final...

 and 1972–73

1972-73 in English football

The 1972–73 season was the 93rd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League announced that a three-up, three-down system would operate between the top two divisions from the following season, rather than the traditional two-up, two-down system...

 seasons — appeared in 127 consecutive league matches, breaking Noel George's club record.

In 1967, Parkes accompanied Wolves as they went to the United States to perform as Los Angeles Wolves

Los Angeles Wolves

Los Angeles Wolves are a former United States professional soccer team, owned by Jack Kent Cooke, that played for two seasons during the 1960s...

 in the United Soccer Association

United Soccer Association

The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...

, a professional league that imported teams to represent American cities and which, a year later, would merge with a rival league to form the North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

. Parkes anchored the team as it proceeded to win the USA title, defeating Washington Whips

Washington Whips

The Washington Whips were a soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that played in the United Soccer Association. The league was made up of teams imported from foreign leagues. The Washington club was actually Aberdeen F.C...

 (represented by Aberdeen

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....

) in the final. Parkes would return to the United States two years later, in a similar "guest" role, as Wolves represented Kansas City Spurs

Kansas City Spurs

The Kansas City Spurs were a soccer team who played in the North American Soccer League, based in Kansas City, Missouri. They played their home games at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, former home of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals...

 in the NASL's 1969 "mini-season."

The keeper won a UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 runners-up medal in 1972, after saving two penalties in the semi-final tie with Ferencváros to help the club to the final

1972 UEFA Cup Final

The 1972 UEFA Cup Final was the final of the first ever UEFA Cup football tournament. It was a two-legged contest played on 3 May and 17 May 1972 between two English clubs, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur....

. However, he missed out on a winners medal in the League Cup

Football League Cup

The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

, when he broke an ankle in the run-up to the 1974 final

1974 Football League Cup Final

The 1974 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 1973–74 Football League Cup, the 14th season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in The Football League...

, after having played in all the previous rounds.

He traded the goalkeeper's role with Gary Pierce

Gary Pierce (footballer)

Gary Pierce is an English former professional football goalkeeper.Pierce began his football career in 1970 at non-league Mossley, before being quickly snapped up by First Division Huddersfield Town for £2,250, where he featured for two seasons. In 1973, he joined top flight Wolverhampton Wanderers...

 over the next two seasons, until Pierce made the spot his own as Wolves won the Second Division championship in 1976–77. Nonetheless, Parkes stayed on the books at Molineux

Molineux stadium

Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...

 until 1978.

With opportunities limited at Wolves, the goalkeeper had returned to the US to play in the North American Soccer League, with the Vancouver Whitecaps

Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)

The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League . The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home...

 in the summers. He served the Canadian club in 1976, 1977 and 1979, the latter seeing him win the Soccer Bowl

Soccer Bowl

The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....

. He was also voted the league's top goalkeeper for 1977 and 1979, after keeping team mate Bruce Grobbelaar

Bruce Grobbelaar

Bruce David Grobbelaar is a former football goalkeeper and manager.He played for a number of clubs in a career which spanned for more than 20 years at professional level, most notably Liverpool during their dominant period in the 1980s and early 1990s.-Early years:In his teenage years, Grobbelaar...

 out of the side.

He went on to play the following summer and part of 1981 with the Chicago Sting

Chicago Sting

The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988...

, before joining the San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose Earthquakes

The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....

 for the remainder of the 1981 season. Parkes left the NASL to help lead the upstart Oklahoma City Slickers

Oklahoma City Slickers

The Oklahoma City Slickers was an American soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that played in three lower division U.S. leagues, the American Soccer League, United Soccer League and USISL.-American Soccer League:...

 of the American Soccer League

American Soccer League

The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

 to the league finals in the 1982 season, but he left the Slickers in the middle of the 1983 season to return to the NASL with the Toronto Blizzard

Toronto Blizzard (NASL)

The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium....

, making just one appearance before retiring from playing.

Parkes also participated in the 1980-81 NASL indoor season, playing a half of one match for the Chicago Sting.

External links

• NASL stats