Peter McParland obituary: footballer in controversial FA Cup win
The 1957 FA Cup final was expected to be a procession for Manchester United. Matt Busby's brilliant 'Babes' had already won the First Division and were heavy favourites to become the first team of the 20th century to win the league and cup double. In archive footage from Pathé News an old-fashioned voice reported breathlessly: 'The Wembley pitch is like a palace lawn and it's perfect weather as Aston Villa in the striped shirts take the field with Manchester United, league champions and odds-on favourites to win that elusive double…'
Then a young Northern Irishman called Peter McParland rewrote the script in one of the most controversial moments in the long history of the competition. Disappointed to make poor contact with a header that bounced
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