INTERESTING CAREERS: Parkin, McNulty and Akinfenwa "The Big Lads"

You're never too big to play footy, these lads were probably told this multiple times throughout their careers, but with six playoff wins, one Football League trophy, one FA Trophy, one Conference trophy and over 2000 games between them, Parkin, Akinfenwa and McNulty have certainly proved that they are in fact not too big for football.

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Jon Parkin

Jon Parkin, a tall, powerhouse of a striker in the football league, known for his off-the-pitch hijinks and unhealthy lifestyle for a footballer, 'The Beast', as he was affectionately known, started life off as a centre half. Parky made his debut for his home town club of Barnsley in 1998 against Hartlepool United in the First Division, a club he would join on loan and play one game for two years later. He almost missed his debut as he had forgotten the new rule change from three to five substitutes. Instead, Parky decided to spend his afternoon eating fishing chips and making love - but made it back in time for the match.

He went on loan to York City and then eventually moved permanently in 2002, now playing as a striker but occasionally in defence. He scored 15 goals in 78 games and signed for Macclesfield Town in January 2004, again in the Third Division. Parky got his chance in the now named Championship with Hull City in January 2005 and scored 12 goals in 52 games for Hull.

He was loaned to Stoke City in March 2007 and then signed for them the season after for £275,000, when Stoke won promotion to the Premier League, finishing in second place. However, Parky did not feature in the top flight, only playing once (and scoring) in the League Cup. He moved to Preston in 2008, where he played the most games for one club, 108 games, and he scored 31 goals in all competitions. He won player of the year for the 2008/09 season, the first time in his career.

He played for two and a half seasons before moving away from the North of England for the first time in his career in 2010 for Cardiff. He scored on his debut for the Bluebirds with a volley against Norwich, but found himself on the bench and was eventually forced out of the side by manager Malky Mackay, only playing 11 games in his first season at the club. He spent time on loan at Doncaster Rovers in the Championship and Huddersfield Town and Scunthorpe United in League One.

He was signed by Fleetwood Town after they won promotion to League Two in 2012, signing as Jamie Vardy's replacement after his record £1million move to Leicester. Playing with fellow article feature and 'big lad' Steve McNulty. Then 31, Parkin moved down the divisions to keep playing the game he loves and won promotion to League One in 2014, forcing him to move away.

Parky moved further down to the conference two seasons later with the club on the up, Forest Green Rovers. Playing consistently in the Conference, he had his greatest scoring form despite being now 33 with a return of 43 goals in 93 games. He got a move back up to League Two with Newport for the 2016/17 season, but did not feature too much and moved back down to the Conference, now called the National League, and back to York City.

'The Beast' was relegated with York and played for two seasons in the National League North, scoring 28 goals in 56 games in the sixth tier, but decided to call it a day and retire in 2019 at the age of 37. Parky now spends his days as a published author and podcaster discussing his many nights out and less about football to a new generation of his fans.

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Steve McNulty

McNulty was a big, stocky defender who was known for his great leadership and reading of the game - he was captain for most clubs he played for. He mainly applied his trade in the Conference and League Two, and if you looked at him, you would not think he was a footballer, but he was a fantastic centre-half. It is certainly no coincidence that most teams he played for are in a much better position and in the Football League, thanks to his promotions with them as the club captain.

Macca started with his local team, Liverpool and captained the Reds' under-19 sides. He was there for 13 years, from a schoolboy to his release in 2003 as a 20-year-old. He had a trial at Second Division side Blackpool but failed to earn a contract, and he started working as a furniture van driver and playing for semi-professional Northern Premier League side Burscough. He then moved up to the Conference North with Vauxhall Motors, where he played for two years, then moved to now Football League side, but then they played in the Conference North, Barrow in 2007.

He was appointed as club captain at Barrow and guided them to promotion via the play-offs in his first season. Playing in the conference for the 2008/09 season, the highest he had played, he moved on after that season, after over 100 games for the club and dropped back down to the Conference North with Fleetwood Town for a then club record fee of £17,000. Again being appointed captain and again getting promotion to the Conference in his first season. In the 2011/12 season, he won the Conference with Fleetwood, and the following season played his first games in the Football League at age 29. But his spell in League Two was only temporary, and he moved back down to the conference with Luton Town in January 2013. In his first full season (2013/14) he was named vice-captain and kept a division record of 23 clean sheets in defence and again earned promotion to the football league - also winning player of the year for Luton.

McNulty was named club captain in his season back in League Two, and he played consistently, guiding his side to a very impressive 8th place finish in the club's first season back in the Football League, earning himself a place in the PFA team of the competition. However, despite his success the following season, he left halfway through the next season to Conference side Tranmere Rovers, originally on loan but then permanently at the end of the season, wanting to be closer to his family back in Merseyside. He captained his side to back-to-back promotions to League Two in 2019 and then League One in 2019, but he was released after the promotion to the third tier.

He moved back down to National League North, now 36, but played 26 times and York lost out in the playoff semi-finals that season to Altrincham, who eventually won promotion. Macca signed for Northern Premier side Witton Albion in 2020. He then moved into coaching as assistant manager of Chester, where he was also registered as a player under his former York City manager, Steve Watson. Later, he became a manager himself with Northern Premier League Division One West club Bootle in 2022, but resigned the following season.

McNulty has captained his sides to many promotions, and if he looked after himself a bit better, maybe he could have played even higher. But just like Parky, their lifestyle clearly works for them, and it takes nothing away from how good they are at football and how true they stay to their beliefs.

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Adebayo Akinfenwa

Bayo is bigger in a different way than Parkin and McNulty, built more like a bodybuilder than a footballer. Akinfenwa has stated in the past that managers have told him to slim down and stop training so hard on his muscles, but that's what he likes to do, and it has clearly worked for him. He earned cult status amongst football fans by being the strongest player in the popular football game FIFA, and has become a social media star in his own right. This has not taken away from his football and his dedication to the sport.

Playing youth football with Watford, on the advice of his agent, Akinfenwa moved to Lithuania with FK Atlantas in 2001. He scored the winning goal to earn himself his first bit of silverware in the Lithuania Cup Final and played his first game in the UEFA Cup qualifying rounds. He spent two seasons abroad and returned to the UK after experiencing racism. He signed for Barry Town in 2002 and won the Welsh Premier League and Welsh cup, scoring 6 goals in 12 appearances, including three in the UEFA Cup. He ended up playing for five teams in the 2003/04 season: Barry Town, Boston United, Leyton Orient, Rushden & Diamonds and Doncaster Rovers.

He scored four goals in nine games for his last club, earning him a move to League One Torquay United. He scored 14 goals in 37 games, but was still relegated and rejected a new contract, staying in the division with Swansea City. He won the Football League Trophy during his two-year spell with Swansea, forming a great partnership with Lee Trundle. He left Wales after scoring 21 goals in 75 games in all competitions.

Akinfenwa moved on for a short spell with Millwall and then Northampton Town in League One, suffering relegation in 2009. He moved to Gillingham in the same league after spending a season there, and then back to Northampton for two seasons and then back to Gillingham for a season this time in League One. In the 2014-15 season, now 32, he signed for AFC Wimbledon and enjoyed two successful seasons in League Two, earning promotion via the playoffs in his final season.

But he chose to remain in League Two with Wycombe Wanderers in 2016, and he has enjoyed his longest spell with Wycombe, getting promoted to League One in 2018. And after two seasons and two seasons in League One, the Chairboys miraculously earned promotion to the Championship after the season ended, and they moved up to the playoff spots on points-per-game. At 38, he played 35 games in the Championship, scoring once. Despite this, Wycombe were relegated that season, and he would go on to play one more season at the club. His final game was a 2-0 loss to Sunderland in the EFL League One Playoff Final.

Retiring with 234 goals in 797 games is incredible. He played a little bit in Non-League for Faversham Town and Hashtag United, but has since begun a media career, notably featuring on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

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On the surface, these three players' careers aren't too interesting, but their size is out of the ordinary for a footballer, and they have proved many doubters wrong throughout their careers. Parkin, McNulty and Akinfenwa have been very successful in their careers, and their size has only helped that. Everyone is different, and these three lads are no different, but it takes nothing away from the game they played.