New Defender Parkes Up

Last updated : 05 July 2017 By Paddock Pundit

Carlisle United have today signed central defender Tom Parkes on a two-year deal which keeps him at Brunton Park until the summer of 2019.

Nottinghamshire-born Parkes, 25, joined Leicester City as a scholar and had loan spells with Burton Albion, Yeovil Town and Bristol Rovers during his time at the Walkers Stadium.

His final loan move with the Pirates led to a permanent move to join Bristol Rovers for an undisclosed fee in 2012. He became club captain during his four-year stay at the Memorial Stadium and made close to 200 appearances, experiencing both relegation and promotion campaigns.

His loyalty to the club earned him hero status when he stayed in Bristol for a successful return to the Football League at the first attempt, via a Wembley play-off final, in 2015.

Parkes joined Leyton Orient last summer and scored once in his 44 appearances at the Matchroom.

Manager Keith Curle said: "Tom is a very combative centre back who has a great left foot. He can step in and play football and he can help us to build our play from the back.

"Ultimately he likes to defend and there are parts of his game we know we can benefit from greatly. 

“I don’t think he’s maximised his potential yet because I think he can play at a higher level. He’s enjoyed a recent promotion with Bristol Rovers and he’s seen the other side of it as well with Leyton Orient. A lot of that was down to the situation behind the scenes at that club, but he’ll have learned from it.

“He has good experience, he’s a good communicator and he’s come here very hungry to be part of the good things we want to achieve. We're all looking forward to working with him because we think he will have a positive impact on the group."