Career
A winger and crowd favourite whose blistering pace earned him the nickname "the Rabbit", Parsons started his career with West Ham United, spotted by the club during a game against West Ham Boys at Upton Park while playing for Worthing Boys. He was an ever-present during the 1947-1948 and 1948-1949 seasons, and made a total of 152 appearances for the club, scoring 35 goals. His last game came against N ottinghamshire County on 25 November 1950.
He served in Montgomery"s Eighth Army during the Second World War.
Parsons joined Chelsea in November 1950 for a then club record fee of £23,000. A pacy winger, Parsons was unfortunate to play in an era of great English wingers, such as Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney, which limited his international opportunities to two "England B" caps.
Nevertheless, Parsons formed an important part of Ted Drake"s Chelsea side of the early 1950s, as both goalscorer and creator. Despite this, he was occasionally barracked by sections of the Chelsea crowd.
Parsons left Chelsea in 1956 for Brentford.
He sustained a broken leg while at the club, but still managed to take his total to over 400 League appearances before retiring from football. He continued to live in his home town of Worthing and died on 7 February 2011.