REBELS' ALEX HAS THINGS SEWN UP

ALEX Parsons has found the next best thing to playing full-time football – helping the game’s best to become better.

- David Richardson

The Worthing midfielder runs his own personal training business and has worked with the likes of top Southampton striker Danny Ings and Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Parsons, 27, became good friends with Ings, his main client, during their time together in digs as youngsters at Bournemouth but their football paths have headed in different directions since then.

Ings has been capped by England and is playing and scoring regularly in the Premier League while Parsons has been in Non-League, reaching the FA Trophy semi-finals in 2017 with Bognor Regis Town and winning promotion to Step 2 the following year.

“I made my League One debut against Wycombe in 2012, but four months later I was released.” Parsons told The NLP. “You make your debut, and not to say I thought I made it, because that’s not the attitude I’ve ever had, but you kind of think that’s going to be your career, your life.

“Then suddenly you’re without a club. Your dream has fallen from underneath you. Mentally that was really tough.”