Parker Cliff Image 1 Portsmouth 1936

Description

Denaby, Doncaster, Yorkshire born outside left Cliff Parker began his football career playing with Mexborough and Denaby United in 1930 and joined Third Division (North) Doncaster Rovers in August 1931, making his Football League debut in a 1-1 draw with Stockport County the same month still aged 17. His performances started to gain attention and he was signed by First Division Portsmouth in December 1933 after 11 goals in 56 appearances for “Donny”.

Initially on the fringes at Pompey, he broke into the first team in November 1935 and was ever present until peacetime football was abandoned due to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, having three full seasons playing every match between 1936 and 1939. In the last of those, most notably, he was part of Portsmouth’s victorious 1939 FA Cup Final team, scoring the third and fourth goals in the unexpected 4-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Wembley.

During the War, which significantly interrupted his career, he worked at the aircraft factory in Hamble-le-Rice and also played football for their works team Folland Aircraft. After the War he returned to Fratton Park and played on for five more seasons, albeit only as a first team regular in 1946-47, playing only a minor part in their two League Championship wins of 1949 and 1950 before re-joining non league Denaby United in 1951 after 63 goals in 260 appearances for Pompey.

In 2017 he was inducted into the Portsmouth Football Club Hall of Fame.