Dave Parsons

DOB: 14th October 1948

Position: Defender

Season of first appearance: 1969/70

Season of last appearance: 1970/71

Full Appearances: 4

Substitute: 0

Goals: 0

Also played for:

Ramsgate Athletic, Brett Sports, Snowdown Colliery Welfare, Herne Bay, Deal Town.

Player Profile:

Local player who began his senior career with Ramsgate, making his first appearances in their reserve team during the 1966/67 season and progressing to the senior side during the 1967/68 campaign.

Dave joined Margate for the 1969/70 season and became a regular in the reserves, gaining a reputation for tough tackling. He also made two first-team appearances, making his debut in the 2nd Leg of the Kent Floodlight Cup Final at Gravesend on 5.5.70. Dave played in midfield as the match finished 2-2 after extra time and he also wore the number seven shirt in the 2nd Leg of the Kent Senior Cup Final on 9.5.70 - a 4-1 defeat at Dartford.

Dave went on to make two further first-team appearances during the 1970/71 campaign and particularly impressed in the first of them - a Kent Floodlight Cup tie against Bexley at Hartsdown Park on 18.1.71. He played as a centre-back and, according to the local press report, he won everything in the air as Margate drew 1-1. Dave's other senior outing came in a 2-1 win at Hastings in the Kent Floodlight Cup on 17.2.71 but it turned out to be his last first-team appearance and he left Margate at the end of the season.

Dave later played for Brett Sports and was with them during the 1972/73 campaign before joining Snowdown for the start of the 1973/74 season.

Dave left Snowdown to link up with Herne Bay later in 1973/74 and he stayed with the club for the start of 1974/75 too.

During the 1976/77, 1977/78 and 1978/79 seasons he played for Deal in the Kent League and, on 19.11.77, Dave was sent off in a game against Ramsgate. He then rejoined the Rams in the summer of 1979.

In June 1980, Dave returned to Deal as a player and, in the summer of 1981, he also took over as manager of amateur side Margate Athletic.

Dave was Deal's manager during the 1981/82 season and guided the club to their first trophy in 14 years - the Kent League Cup. He was also in charge during the 1982/83 campaign and as a player he made a career total of 146 appearances for Deal before leaving the club.

Dave played the last football of his career during the mid-late 1990s when he turned out for Thanet League club Margate Athletic Old Boys whose squad of veterans also included a host of other former Margate/Thanet players.

He was still living in Margate in 2012 and in September of that year Dave mentioned that he'd made more than four first-team appearances for Margate as he'd featured as a substitute several times. Unfortunately the details of his sub outings weren't recorded in press reports or official club records and Dave said he tended to be used a substitute in matches that "the professionals didn't fancy". He also added that during his time at Ramsgate he sometimes played under an assumed name.