Jon Parkin

Jonathan Parkin (born 30 December 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.

His first goal came after heading in a Ross Wallace cross against Doncaster Rovers in the 82nd minute on 9 December, which sealed a 1–0 victory.

He followed this up with the winner against second-place Birmingham City, after Wallace set him up to score from six yards out.

He also went on to score in the Boxing Day win over Derby County following another cross from Wallace.

He came through the youth academy at hometown club Barnsley signing professional terms in 1998 but would only feature in 10 league games.

Parkin played extensively in all Football League divisions, and (excluding loan spells) made more than 50 league appearances for each of four clubs: York City, Macclesfield Town, Preston North End and Fleetwood Town, plus over 50 non-League appearances for Forest Green Rovers.

While never making a Premier League appearance, he also played for Stoke City during their stint in top flight football.

He also played in the Football League with Hull City, Cardiff City, Doncaster Rovers, Huddersfield Town, Scunthorpe United and Newport County.

After nearly two years with the club, he moved to Macclesfield Town in February 2004, after York told him they would not be able to offer him the same pay deal for the 2004–05 season.

In 2004–05, he scored 26 goals in all competitions for the team, which was a new club record.

By this time he was playing solely as a forward.

At the start of 2005–06, Parkin had an injury to his knee which stopped him from playing until October 2005.

He finished 2005–06 with five goals in 18 appearances for Hull.

Macclesfield confirmed they had rejected two bids for Parkin by 5 January 2006, but Championship club Hull City eventually signed him for an undisclosed fee on an 18-month contract on 12 January.

He marked his debut with a goal against Crystal Palace, in a match that Hull were defeated 2–1.

In the opening month of 2006–07, he was the only Hull City player to score in the league, with three goals in their first five matches.

Parkin was loaned out to Stoke City in March 2007 for the remainder of 2006–07.

He made his debut in a 2–1 victory over Southampton.

He was recalled by Hull on 10 April 2007 after making six appearances and scoring three goals for Stoke.

On 20 June 2007, Parkin signed for Stoke permanently for an initial fee of £275,000, which could have risen to £450,000, depending on his and Stoke's success.

He joined Preston North End on an emergency loan on 30 August 2008, which would be turned into a permanent three-year contract for an undisclosed fee on 1 September.

He made his debut on the day he joined the club as the team beat Charlton Athletic 2–1.

He scored Preston's first goal in a 2–1 victory over Queens Park Rangers with a 37th-minute goal, which saw Preston secure their place in the 2008–09 Championship play-offs.

On 2 January 2010, Parkin scored his first FA Cup hat-trick for Preston in their 7–0 win over Colchester United.

On 28 September, Parkin scored his second hat-trick for the club, and his first at Championship level, in a 6–4 win at Leeds United.

On 1 January 2011, Parkin signed for Championship club Cardiff City on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

He missed three matches due to injury but scored on his debut with a volley against Norwich City in a match that ended 1–1.

After Jay Bothroyd's return to the team, Parkin was relegated to the bench for the majority of the remaining season.

His next start came against Stoke City at Cardiff City Stadium on 18 January 2011 but he failed to make an impact.

Parkin managed to find himself on the bench at the start of 2011–12, making his first appearance against Oxford United in the first round of the League Cup on 10 August 2011 and scored his first goal of the campaign in the second round against Huddersfield Town.

Parkin arrived at Coventry City for a medical and to discuss personal terms.

However, the move fell through on deadline day after Parkin was reported to have failed his medical at the club.

This, along with his towering position upfront, helped Hull City stay clear of the relegation zone, finishing in 18th place and avoiding relegation by 10 points.

Since February 2019, Parkin has co-hosted the podcast Undr the Cosh with his former Preston North End teammate Chris Brown and comedy writer Chris J. Brown.

The show has received over one million downloads and has raised money for various charities, including £1,200 raised for Prostate Cancer UK following a 145-mile bike ride in June 2019.

Born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Parkin progressed through the youth system of his hometown club Barnsley as a defender.

He made his first-team debut at the age of 17 against Hartlepool United.

He almost missed his debut as he had forgotten about the recent rule change increasing the number of substitutes from three to five: as he knew he would not be among the three substitutes likely to be used in the match, he took the afternoon off to eat fish and chips and have sex with a woman he knew.

After 13 appearances for Barnsley, he moved to Hartlepool on loan before making a permanent move to Terry Dolan's York City.

Parkin scored 15 goals in 87 appearances for York, despite sometimes playing in a central defensive role.