Parris Eddie Image 3 Bradford Park Avenue 1932

Description

Pwllmeyric, Monmouthshire born Eddie was (I believe) the second black or mixed race player to play international football for any of the “home” countries, the first being Scotsman Andrew Watson in the 1880’s. Born near Chepstow in Wales to Canadian parents, Parris had quite a successful career as a winger throughout the 1930’s in the lower divisions, making his senior debut for Second Division Bradford Park Avenue in an FA Cup tie in January 1929 against Hull City, and making 142 appearances for them scoring 39 goals over the next 6 years, spent solely in the Second Division, top scoring for the club in 1931-32 with 13 goals.

He came to the attention of the Welsh selectors and won his only Wales international cap in December 1931 against Ireland at Windsor Park, Belfast. He transferred to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in the summer of 1935 where he had 2 and a half seasons and played 117 games scoring 37 goals, including his best return of 24 goals in 1935-36, which included 2 successive FA Cup hat-tricks in the first and second round matches. He moved to Luton Town in February 1937 but hardly got a look in scoring a couple of goals in only 7 appearances, and transferred to Northampton Town that November where he scored 7 goals in 26 games before moving non league with Cheltenham Town in 1939.