Tonbridge Angels Football Club: Interview with Ian Parkes
In our latest interview Phil Kingsley talks to young Angel Ian Parkes about his prospects with the Club and his recent success in making the England Schoolboys' Squad.
1) How long have you been at Tonbridge Angels? What club were you with prior?
I was at Brighton from 11, but failed to get a scholarship. I then joined Tonbridge when I was 16. Therefore this is my second season with the Angels.
2) What is your favoured position?
My favoured position is probably centre midfield. For Brighton I played full-back but came here and was played in the centre of midfield from the start. As I have been coached to be a defender my midfield tendencies are usually defensive. However, this season I have been encouraged to get forward more and be more of a box to box player, rather than a holding, sitting midfielder. With so many central midfielders at the club I have also played in wide positions this season. Personally, I don’t think my attributes suit these positions and I don’t really like it either. However, I’ve given it my best when played out there, and I guess it has added other parts to my game, which is always good.
3) Do you have any nicknames?
Everyone calls me Parkesy. Whether this is a nickname or not I don’t really know but I definitely prefer it to Ian.
4) Who are your favourite footballers, both Angels and professional?
Err… I’ve never really thought about it. In terms of professionals, I guess I like watching Gerrard and recently Fabregas. Gerrard gives 100%, is loyal and reliable, and brings so much energy to the game. In my eyes he's a born winner! Fabregas is my age! I think that says it all really. Playing with such confidence and style, he has an all-round game. When talking of Angels’ players I get on with them all. I’ve played in all the Angels teams with Crampy so probably know him best – I rate him highly.
5) What do you consider to have been your best game in an Angels shirt?
I don’t really know. I’ve played a lot of games for the 18s, the reserves and some for the first team so there are a lot to pick from. To be honest, I’d like to consider myself a consistent performer. Therefore outstanding games are rather rare. I suppose it would have to be one of my pre-season games in the first team as they would have been the highest standard I’ve played at the club. Which one, I couldn’t really say.
6) Who have been your biggest influences in football?
I couldn’t say one person has influenced me more than any other. It was more that I just loved watching the game and wanted to be playing at every opportunity.
7) What's it like working with Julian, Kevin and Simon?
I think it’s well documented at this club how good they all are. Everyone in the reserves gets on well and in my opinion this is largely down to the approach of these three. They are always telling us to enjoy ourselves and play with a smile on our faces. In football if you do this you’ll play well. The training is good with Si and Kev taking the lead roles. Everyone has a laugh and I think there has been a noticeable improvement in the team throughout the year. On a personal note they’ve all been really supportive of me. With so much of the second half of my season being spent away with England, I might have expected to be frozen out a little. However, they have made it very easy for me when I am back. Julian often rings me to see how the games went and is always keen to keep me involved.
8) You are representing England at Schoolboy level, how is that going?
It’s all going really well! Representing England is a true honour – it’s an amazing experience that I only ever dreamed of. I never thought I’d ever get the chance to do anything like this so I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as possible and not take any of it for granted. I’m learning lots of new things and gaining experience each time I play. It is not just the games that are good – because we meet up a few days before each game we get a couple of days of quality coaching, which is really helpful. There’s also the nutrition and fitness side of things which is more intense. Obviously it’s the games that are the true buzz though. Singing the national anthem is awesome. Plus we’ve played in front of crowds of over 3,000, which for me at this age is so rewarding.
Thank you Ian and good luck to you for the future.
