Jon Parkin Back To Barnsley?

Jon Parkin is the latest name flying around the Barnsley rumour mill and it`s a name that`s been subversively muttered all summer. Fuelled in part by talk of Robins offloading Andy Gray to Portsmouth, Barnsley fans have come to suspect that Jon Parkin may be on Robins` list of targets as he completes his pre-season transfer binge.

Parkin started out at Barnsley as a trainee in 1998 but only made a handful of appearances as a defender in the first team throughout the four seasons his spent at the club.

A loan move to York City in 2002 tempted the Minstermen to take him off our hands as he began to find a knack for scoring goals. He was soon snapped up by Macclesfield where he notched up an impressive 36 goals in 75 starts which paved the way for a move to Hull City. Twelve goals in 42 starts for the Tigers caught the eye of Stoke City`s Tony Pulis who brough Parkin to the Britannia Stadium for £275000.

The Beast netted 6 times in just 12 starts for Stoke before a loan move took him to his current club Preston North End, but they wasted no time capturing his signature on a permanent deal after just one appearance. He has scored 24 goals in 60 starts for Preston.

Opinion in Barnsley is divided on Parkin. Some call him a target man, some say he likes the ball to feet. Some think he's a lazy waste of space, some think he's a beast that will make life hell for defenders. One thing is undisputed however; his goalscoring record is exemplary and that is something no Barnsley fan would sniff at at present.

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