Robert Plant and Steve Bull among 500 at Wolves great Phil Parkes' funeral | OneFootball

Hundreds of mourners, including Robert Plant and Steve Bull, gathered at St Peter’s Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton, on Wednesday for the funeral of former Wolves goalkeeper Phil Parkes. According to ExpressAndStar.com, about 500 people attended.

Club greats Peter Knowles, John Richards, Derek Parkin, Mel Eves, Carl Ikeme and Steve Kindon were among those present, with some standing on the church steps.

His coffin, draped in a Wolves flag, paused outside Molineux on the way to the service, where fans paid their respects.

Parkes died on August 8 aged 79. He spent 18 years at Molineux and made 382 first-team appearances between 1966 and 1978. Nicknamed Lofty for his 6ft 3in frame, he helped reach the 1972 UEFA Cup final, was in the 1974 League Cup-winning squad and entered the Hall of Fame in 2023.

After the service, lifelong Wolves fan and club vice-chairman Plant praised Parkes’ forthright character, humour and guile, and said his skill was magnificent. Richard Green of the Wolves Former Players Association remembered watching him train at Castlecroft as a child and highlighted his fundraising for New Cross Hospital and tireless charity work.

Green also recalled Parkes answering a late call from manager Sammy Chung to face West Ham after agreeing a move to Vancouver Whitecaps, helping Wolves win 2-1 in a final Molineux outing. Away from football, Parkes played for Fordhouses Cricket Club and often umpired junior matches.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com

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