‘Wizard of Wembley’ laid to rest in the place he called home

The Aston Villa great, who helped Northern Ireland reach the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, passed away in May aged 91.

Family and friends gathered at St Mary’s Church on Sunday to say a final goodbye to one of the finest soccer players Newry has ever produced.

The congregation was told: “He was born and reared in Chapel Street and as the old saying is about Chapel Street, you’re welcome up Chapel Street dead or alive.”

Amongst the congregation were Peter’s sons Paul and Nicholas, their wives Yumi and Bronwyn and Peter’s grandchildren.

His sisters, Eileen and Margaret, were also in attendance.

A special welcome was made to those watching online, including Peter’s wife, Carol, who was unable to be with us due to illness.

A priest officiating at the funeral told of how Peter, whose footballing exploits had taken him all over the world, was now “at home in Newry and he's also in his eternal home”.

He added that the death of a husband and a father is always a painful experience within the family circle.

“Even though a person may have lived a good life and length of days, the finality of death is always a disorienting experience,” he continued.

“The death of Peter leaves a vacant space, an empty chair within the family home. He was a man of great dignity. A man devoted to Carol and his family and while his career as a talented footballer took him away from Newry in his teenage years, he loved to come home to Newry and meet his friends at McClelland’s Corner.

“Born April 1934, 74 Chapel Street, his father worked in Birmingham during the Second World War and sent many reports home - in those days, no phones… you wrote letters - of Villa’s matches, fuelling Peter's great affection for the club.

“He was only a teenager when he was signed by Dundalk after someone watched him playing here in Newry.

“In his first game for Dundalk against Bohemians he scored twice. In 1951 Leeds offered him a month's trial, but he was homesick and he said to his family: ‘They didn't call me for Mass in the morning - I'm going home’.”

Peter came home and got a job in the railway company in Dundalk, where he continued playing.

A chance trip to Birmingham led to his big break and they paid Dundalk the princely sum of £4,000 - which seems like so little compared to the £18m that Brentford paid Liverpool for Irish international goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher, the priest added.

Those gathered in St Mary’s Church heard of Peter’s exploits at Wembley Stadium.

“In 1957 Aston Villa were in mid-table of the league. Manchester United had charged through the league and had won the league and were favourites to win the FA Cup and they were playing Aston Villa.

“After six minutes Peter headed the ball towards the goalmouth in which there was a famous goalkeeper for Manchester United called Ray Woods. Anyway, if the truth be told, Ray Woods fumbled the ball, Peter charged on. Peter, Ray Wood and the ball finished in the back of the net.

“In fact he went on to score a second goal and Villa won the FA Cup. They haven't won it since, by the way.

Also, he played for Villa when they won the inaugural Football League Cup.

“His scoring feats propelled Northern Ireland to the World Cup in 1958 in Sweden where he scored five goals.

“He spent 10 years with Aston Villa scoring 121 goals in 340 appearances and he was capped for Northern Ireland 34 times.

“He is the last surviving member of the Northern Ireland 1958 World Cup team.”

The priest said that Peter “went on to do great things”.

“In his later years, he played in Canada, America and he joined Glentoran in 1968 as a playing manager, winning the Irish League at the first attempt.

“When he finished playing, he coached in Hong Kong, Libya, Cyprus, Kuwait.

“In January this year Villa celebrated their 150th anniversary. Peter was a guest of honour. At the end of the celebration, he said ‘My ambition was to play for Aston Villa and I achieved it. I loved playing for the club. It was my life’.

“It sums up the life of one of the two great footballers from Newry.”

Peter will be “missed to an enormous degree” as a husband, a father, a grandfather, mourners were told.

“The good memories will persevere, but they will not take away the pain of loss. Nor will they fill the empty space created by his death.

“We pray that the Lord will comfort and strengthen those who are left behind him. We pray too, that God will grant him that Eternal rest, which we all seek and that in due course, all those who loved him here on Earth may be reunited with him in eternity.”

Following the funeral Mass his ashes were scattered in the graveyard adjoining St Mary’s Church.