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If ever a player's career was defined by one fateful match, it was
Tony Parks. At the age of 21, the goalkeeper had made only a handful of
senior appearances when he deputised for the injured Ray Clemence in the
1984 UEFA Cup final between Tottenham Hotspur and Anderlecht. The tie
went to penalties after the sides proved inseparable over two legs. In
what was a fairytale ending to a night of pure drama, Parks saved the
Belgian side's first and last kicks to hand Spurs the trophy.
Having
worked his way up through the club's youth system, the Hackney-born
keeper had found his opportunities limited up to that point. Perhaps he
was disadvantaged by the timing of his Spurs career, which almost
exactly coincided with Clemence's years at the club. With the confidence
of his UEFA Cup success, Tony's athleticism and shot-stopping ability
should have provided a springboard for more regular selection. However,
with his newfound hero status came loss of focus, and Tony fell victim
to the many distractions available to young footballers. His 16 league
appearances during 1983-84 were as many as he would make during any
season at the club. He made only two more starts over the next three
seasons and had to wait until 1987-88 for another extended run in the
side. When it came, Tony was given 19 consecutive starts but failed to
impress, looking a shadow of the keeper who had burst onto the scene so
spectacularly. Following loan spells at Oxford United and Gillingham, he
was transferred to Brentford in summer 1988 for £60, 000, having made
only 37 league appearances as a Tottenham player.
Although Spurs
fans had seen so little of Tony in his time at the club, he had already
etched his name into club folklore with his heroics on that glorious
night of 25th May 1984. After a professional career that saw him
represent a total of 15 clubs, there was a feeling that Tony was back
where he belonged when he took up the role of goalkeeping coach at White
Hart Lane in November 2008. (Alex Voskou)
1980–1988 Tottenham Hotspur 37 (0)
1986 Oxford United (loan) 5 (0)
1987 Gillingham (loan) 2 (0)
1988–1990 Brentford 71 (0)
1990 Queens Park Rangers (loan) 0 (0)
1990–1991 Fulham 2 (0)
1991–1992 West Ham United 6 (0)
1992 Stoke City 2 (0)
1992–1996 Falkirk 112 (0)
1996–1997 Blackpool 0 (0)
1997–1998 Burnley 0 (0)
1998 Doncaster Rovers 6 (0)
1998–1999 Barrow
1999 Scarborough 15 (0)
1999–2002 Halifax Town 6 (0)
Teams managed
2000 Halifax Town (caretaker manager)
2001 Halifax Town (caretaker manager)
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