IPSWICH product Alex Parsons is doing the city proud as he turns out for the Brisbane Roar. A young attacker, Parsons has come off the bench in the Roar’s first couple of A League games, as he settles back into the side he rejoined this winter.
But he’s hoping to win and keep a first-team place and he reckons he has the talent to prove it.
“It’s a young, hungry side, and a lot of the guys have a point to prove,” said Parsons. “I suppose I’m one of those guys.” Asked if his ambitions stretched to one day turning out in a European league, Parsons said, “It’s important to keep our focus on where we are. You need to prove yourself in Australia. You want to do well here above all.”
And Parsons believes he can do well in Brisbane. “Everyone’s really optimistic about what we can achieve,” he said.
Parsons began his footballing life at Western Spirit in Camira. His parents are involved at the club. He has two older brothers who also played football there. Before too long, he’d progressed as far as he could go and moved on to Olympic and then at 15 he joined the Roar academy.
There, he was one of the younger players and had some very good teammates, including fellow Roar stars Aaron Reardon and Henry Hore. So it was a tough baptism in the Roar family. Even tougher was his time in Sydney, where he vied for game time with players who had European Champions League experience.
Parsons said, “It was an easy decision to come back and play again at the Roar. I have unfinished business here.”
He’s excited about working with Ross Aloisi, saying, “I can’t speak highly enough about Ross. Everyone’s really bought into his plan.”
The signs are good for the Roar, with a thrilling run in the preseason cup and a fine start to the season.
Parsons is hoping the results continue to be good and the fans start to fill Suncorp Stadium. There’s a way to go with 7-8000 about the level at the moment but Parsons is confident that as the team delivers on its promise, the fans will come. In any case, the people he cares about are already regular attendees.
“My parents come to games whenever they’re able,” he said. “And it’s special to play in front of friends and family. I see a few familiar faces each week.”
Hopefully we see more of Parsons in the next few games for the Roar and as he begins to prove himself, he’ll stake his claim to a place in the front line.
