Aston Villa legend Peter McParland still proud of 'forgotten' 1961 League Cup winner
No footage exists of the first-ever League Cup final so now, nearly 59 years on, there is mischievous twinkle in Peter McParland’s eye when he is asked to describe his winning goal.
“Oh, you should have seen it!” he exclaims. “I must have beaten what, six men? Then I stuck in the top corner!”
There is a pause before he says: “The honest truth is there was a scramble in the box, the ball was bobbling around and I have belted it in from about two yards out. But there is no-one who wasn’t there who can claim the first version isn’t true!”
McParland’s goal completed a dramatic comeback as Villa triumphed 3-2 on aggregate over Rotherham in a final which was staged over two legs and played at the start of the 1961-62 season, after fixture congestion had prevented it from taking place the previous campaign.
In scoring, McParland also became the first ever player to have scored the winning goal in both English domestic cup finals, following his better known exploits against Manchester United in the 1957 FA Cup showpiece.
Villa had been big underdogs against the Busby Babes, but four years on the tables were turned and it was they who looked like being on the end of an upset when the Division Two Millers claimed a 2-0 first leg win.
The second leg took place at Villa Park, but the home side appeared set to be frustrated until Alan O’Neill and Harry Burrows struck in the space of two minutes midway through the second half. McParland then clinched victory in the second period of extra-time.
“It meant a great deal,” he says. “Here we are nearly 60 years on and you feel proud you played in the first final and you are still around to talk about it.
“The game was more of a level playing field then and we beat a team who were a big strong Second Division team who could cause problems for people.
“They did for us in the first game, but we overcame it in the second leg by getting three goals to win it. I feel proud of getting the winning goals in the two cup finals. I think there are still only a couple of other players who have done that.”
McParland, who will turn 86 in April, remains as uncompromising with words as he was with defenders.
He is still passionate about Villa, the club he began supporting at the age of 10 in his native Newry when his father, then working in Birmingham, would send newspaper clippings featuring the club’s match reports. Tomorrow, McParland will be among the 33,000-plus at Wembley roaring on Dean Smith’s team.
“Villa have terrific supporters,” said McParland. “There are 40,000 going to watch them every week and I bet if they could get 50,000 in there they would get that. It is going to be a tough match. The way City played on Wednesday night against Real Madrid, they were really good. But it is a big incentive for the Villa. They know they are playing a top team and they must have the attitude of: ‘Right, they are not going to get past us. We are going to fight and battle’. We did it against Liverpool at Wembley in the semi-final in 2015. It is a one-off game and they must play without fear.”
