*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Bryan Parry
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Appearances: 53 Goals: 0
Clean Sheets: 15
Date / Year of birth: 3rd March 1956
Position: Goalkeeper
Season of first appearance: 1978/79
Season of last appearance: 1979/80
Also played for: Crystal Palace (0), Bath City, Kidderminster Harriers, Jomo Cosmos (South Africa), Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa), Giant Blackpool (South Africa), PG Rangers (South Africa), Idas Valley (South Africa) and Table View (South Africa)
6' 0" tall, well-built agile keeper born in Birmingham who started his career at Crystal Palace as a youngster, appearing for their junior sides as early as the 1972/73 season. Bryan made 12 reserve team appearances for the Eagles during the 1973/74 campaign but was then released, partly because he wore contact lenses.
Bryan joined Swindon for the start of 1974/75 and played several times for their reserves before moving on to Southern League club Bath later in the season.
He went on to make 40 first team appearances for Bath before joining Kidderminster for the 1976/77 campaign.
Bryan made over 100 appearances for the Harriers and was voted their 'Player of the Year' for the 1977/78 season.
He joined Margate from Kidderminster in March 1979 as a replacement for the long-serving Steve Bowtell. Bryan was the son-in-law of manager Jack Smith having married his daughter Kim and made his debut in a 4-1 defeat at Nuneaton on 5.3.79. He went on to make 19 appearances before the end of the 1978/79 season and turned in many impressive displays. Bryan was superb in a 0-0 draw at Weymouth on 17.3.79 and according to the Thanet Times he pulled off "a series of excellent saves" in a 2-1 defeat at Gravesend & Northfleet on 16.4.79.
Bryan continued to be a fixture in the side during the early part of the 1979/80 campaign and during October 1979 he kept five clean sheets in a row. His performance in a 2-0 defeat at Addlestone on 19.1.80 led the Thanet Times to describe him as a "hero". Bryan was said to have single-handedly "kept the score within the bounds of respectability". However later in January he left the club and rejoined Kidderminster for an undisclosed four figure fee having made 34 appearances.
During the 1980/81 season Bryan played in the Harriers' two FA Cup ties against Millwall and he made 228 appearances in his second spell with the club, taking his overall tally for Kidderminster to almost 350 games. He was ever-present during the 1980/81 and 1981/82 campaigns. Bryan left the club at the end of the 1982/83 season and in November 1983 he emigrated to Johannesburg, South Africa.
Early in 1984 he signed for Johannesburg-based club Jomo Cosmos and Bryan went on to enjoy a successful spell with the National Soccer League club. In 1990 he was chosen as 'Goalkeeper of the Year' in South Africa.
Bryan later had short spells with Kaizer Chiefs (where future Leeds star Lucas Radebe played before moving to England), Giant Blackpool and PG Rangers who were all based in Johannesburg before returning to Jomo Cosmos to finish his career.
Bryan retired from senior football in 1993 having made his last appearance for Cosmos in a continental cup tie in the Ivory Coast and he then had spells with Cape Town-based amateur clubs Idas Valley and Table View. He later played local football to keep fit and Bryan was still turning out in an Over-45's league up until 2011.
In 2012 he was living in West Beach, Bloubergstrand, Cape Town and had re-married although he still sometimes met up with Jack Smith's daughter Kim at family events. At that time Bryan was working in a small business with his brother that imported machinery for the packaging industry from Europe and Asia. He was still doing a small amount of goalkeeper coaching at his old club Table View and Bryan's son Leigh was living in Ealing, London where he coached at Ealing Cricket Club.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1978/79 (MFC) |
19 (58) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (19TH OF 22) |
4QR |
3R |
1R |
2R |
|
| Margate moved to new Southern League Southern Division following reorganisation of Southern League. | |||||||||
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1979/80 (MFC) |
34 (56) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (17TH OF 24) |
4QR |
3QR |
2R |
2R |
|