It's no wonder Manny Parry loves defending given his upbringing around Stoke's uncompromising centre-halves.

Parry learned his trade as a young professional at Stoke at a time when Tony Pulis' side were the masters of total commitment and making life difficult for opponents.

And after joining Maidstone on a one-year deal from Grays, he opened up about his time in the Potteries.

Parry, 21, said: "I loved every minute at Stoke and learned so much from being at a Premiership club.

"I watched the likes of Ryan Shawcross, Matt Upson, Robert Huth and Jonathan Woodgate.

"I enjoyed seeing how they worked and trying to put their game into mine.

"They're all good defenders. I probably tried to take the most from Shawcross and Huth.

"They were the first-choice partnership at the time and kept a lot of clean sheets, so I really focused on how they played.

"Upson was good as well. I used to clean his boots so I got to speak to him a lot. He watched a couple of my games and gave me tips."