Paul Parry

Paul Ian Parry (born 19 August 1980 in Chepstow) is a Welsh professional footballer and former Wales international who currently plays for Football League One side Preston North End. He plays as either a winger or striker.

Personal life

Parry suffers from a severe fear of flying (aviophobia) which, like other footballers such as Dennis Bergkamp, has caused problems during his career due to his inability to sometimes travel with the Wales team to far-away countries. He manages to overcome by taking tablets. It has also caused problems in his club career when his teams have travelled to opposite ends of Great Britain. He has often managed to get around the problem by travelling the long distances by car.

As a youngster he attended Chepstow Comprehensive School.

Club career

Hereford United

Parry started his career at Bristol City where he spent two years as a schoolboy, before joining Hereford United as a YTS trainee. He made his league debut for Hereford on 7 November 1998, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 defeat away to Leek Town. His profile was raised after an excellent FA Cup performance against Leicester City in the 1999/00 season. In this match, Parry so nearly scored the winning goal when he dribbled past 5 Leicester players and hit the post when one-on-one with goalkeeper Tim Flowers.

He was Hereford's leading goalscorer in the 2002–03 season. On 19 December 2003, under the watchful eye of...
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