Andy Parkinson

For the South African player, see Andrew Parkinson (soccer).

Andy Parkinson

Personal information
Full name	Andrew John Parkinson
Date of birth	27 May 1979 (1979-05-27)
Place of birth	Liverpool, England
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position	Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Aberystwyth Town
Youth career
1995–1996	Liverpool
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–2003	Tranmere Rovers	164	(18)
2003–2004	Sheffield United	7	(0)
2004	→ Notts County (loan)	5	(3)
2004	→ Notts County (loan)	9	(0)
2004–2006	Grimsby Town	85	(12)
2006–2008	Notts County	68	(5)
2008–2010	Cambridge United	27	(2)
2010	Gateshead	14	(0)
2010–2011	Accrington Stanley	18	(2)
2011–	Aberystwyth Town	5	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:40, 10 September 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Andrew John "Andy" Parkinson (born May 27, 1979 in Liverpool, Merseyside) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward, attacking midfielder and a winger and is signed to Aberystwyth Town in the Welsh Premier League.

He has previously played for Tranmere Rovers where he featured in the 2000 Football League Cup Final, he went on to play for Sheffield United, Notts County, Grimsby Town, Cambridge United, Gateshead and Accrington Stanley.

Career

Tranmere Rovers

A pacy winger, Parkinson began as a Liverpool trainee, winning the FA Youth Cup in 1996, but was released shortly after. He signed for Tranmere Rovers who were managed by former Liverpool striker John Aldridge. He was handed his professional debut on 22 October 1997 when he came on as an 81st minute substitute for John Morrisey in a 2-1 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Parkinson settled into Rovers first team squad with the club plying there trade in the second tier of English football. During 2000 and 2001 he featured in two cup runs, which eventually saw him play a part in the 2000 Football League Cup Final, where Tranmere lost out to Leicester City in the final at Wembley Stadium. He played his final game for the club on 22 March 2003 against Peterborough United before departing Prenton Park at the end of the 2002-2003 season.

Sheffield United

Parkinson moved to Neil Warnock's Sheffield United in July 2003, making his debut on 9 August 2003 in a 0-0 draw with Gillingham. He struggled to find a way into the first team setup at Bramall Lane and was made available for loan. He was then signed by Notts County for two separate loan spells before being released by United in May 2004.

Grimsby Town

In July 2004 he became one of Russell Slade's first signings as Grimsby Town manager, where he played his first season for The Mariners mainly in attack where he partnered Michael Reddy. His 9 league goals during the 2004-2005 season were enough for him to make him the clubs top scorer. During the 2005-2006 campaign Slade preferred to push Parkinson out to a wide left position on the wing, whilst Reddy was partnered by Gary Jones in attack. He was involved in the clubs League Cup run where they saw off Derby County before beating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 where Parkinson's corner was hit in on the half volley by Jean-Paul Kalala. Town were eventually beaten in the third round by Newcastle United, and by the end of the season they had found themselves in a Play-Off spot, but lost out in the Football League Two final to Cheltenham Town.

Notts County

Parkinson rejected a fresh contract with Grimsby in the summer of 2006 and opted to return to Notts County where he had previously spent two loan spells during the 2003-2004 season. Parkinson remained at Meadow Lane for two seasons, and he was eventually released when his two year contract expired.

Cambridge United

Parkinson signed for Cambridge United on 2 July 2008 on a free transfer after being released by Notts County at the end of the 2007–08 season and quickly established himself as a fan favourite. In a pre-season fixture against Everton he scored two goals, one of which was a lob over the goalkeeper from the edge of the area on the turn. However, he injured his anterior crutiate ligament in training in the days following his first appearance for Cambridge and was ruled out for the rest of the 2008–09 season. However, he made an exceptional recovery and returned to the first team squad in March 2009 as a substitute in Cambridge's 2–0 home win against Burton Albion. He later paid tribute to the work and skill Greg Reid, the Cambridge United physio, for the speed and quality of his recovery. Parkinson had his contract with Cambridge United terminated by mutual consent on 1 February 2010. Parkinson signed for Gateshead on 16 February 2010, making his debut the same day against Barrow. Parkinson was released by Gateshead at the end of the 2009–10 season.

Accrington Stanley

He joined Accrington Stanley for the 2010/11 season. On 23 May 2011 it was announced that he would be released at the end of June 2011 when his current contract expired.

Aberystwyth Town

In August 2011 after a trial with Barrow AFC, he moved to Aberystwyth Town.

Honours

Cambridge United

• Conference Premier Play-off runner up: 2008–09

Grimsby Town

• Football League Two Play-off runner up: 2005–06

Liverpool

• FA Youth Cup Winner: 1996

Tranmere Rovers

• League Cup Runner-up: 2000

External links

• Andy Parkinson career stats at Soccerbase