| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stanley Palk | ||
| Date of birth | 28 October 1921 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Date of death | 12 October 2009 (aged 87) | ||
| Place of death | Liverpool, England | ||
| Playing position | Inside-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| South Liverpool | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1940–1948 | Liverpool | 13 | (0) |
| 1948–1952 | Port Vale | 159 | (14) |
| Worcester City | |||
| Flint Town | |||
| Oswestry Town | |||
| Maghull | |||
| Total | 172+ | (14+) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| Maghull | |||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Stanley (Stan) Palk (28 October 1921 - 12 October 2009) is a former English footballer. He was with Liverpool throughout the 1940s, though found regular football with Port Vale between 1948 and 1952.
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Palk started his career with South Liverpool, when in 1940 he was invited to train with Liverpool by manager George Kay. He scored 14 goals in 61 games throughout World War II, including one in the Merseyside derby match of April 1944, in the Liverpool Senior Cup.[1]
He spent 1944 to 1946 in Mombasa, serving in the Royal Navy.[1] On his return to Anfield he made thirteen competitive appearances, before joining Port Vale, along with Mick Hulligan, for a then club record combined transfer fee of £10,000 in July 1948.
"I'd just come back from the States and I got the shock of my life. Tom Bush, a former centre half who was then working on the office staff, knocked on my door and said I wanted down at the ground. I turned up and standing there was Gordon Hodgson, the legendary Liverpool centre forward who managed Port Vale. He wanted to sign Mick Hulligan and myself in a double deal. I was unsure what to do at first because I really wanted to stay with Liverpool but the opportunity of first team football was too tempting and I eventually decided to go."—Palk in a liverpoolfc.tv interview in February 2005.[2]
He was a firm fixture during his time at the club; a positive ever-present in the 1948–49 and 1949–50 seasons. During a 2-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers on 17 December 1949, he caused a minor dispute as his successfully converted penalty kick passed through the net. Despite his 169 appearances (159 in the Football League and 10 in the FA Cup) and 14 league goals for the club he was released at the end of the 1951–52 season. Later he played for Worcester City, Flint Town and Oswestry Town.[3]
Palk had a son, Gary, and two daughters in Alex and Nicola. He also had four grandchildren and one great grandchild before his death at Royal Liverpool University Hospital on 12 October 2009.[1]
Palk has often been recorded as Polk.[1]
"It's all down to a mix-up with the birth certificate when I first signed for the Reds. For some reason I had two birth certificates, one with Palk and one with Polk. On the day I signed I had to produce it and must have shown them the wrong one. The name Palk is Cornish and is actually pronounced with an 'O', so I can understand how the confusion has come about. It's never bothered me though."—Palk explains the confusion over his surname.[1]