Steve Saunders (born 21 September 1964) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who had a seven-year professional career in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

Playing career

As a schoolboy he represented

Boteler Grammar School Boteler is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander Boteler (1815–1892), 19th-century American politician and clerk from Virginia *Arnold le Boteler, late-11th- and early-12th-century Norman squire with a penchant for prope ...

, where he came to the attention of local amateur side Warrington Town. In 1981, he became an apprentice at professional side

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

, before he became a pro with the club in 1983. Trained by coach

Walter Joyce Walter Joyce (10 September 1937 – 29 September 1999) was an English professional footballer and manager who played as a wing half, born in Oldham, Lancashire. His son, Warren Joyce, also played for Burnley Burnley () is a town and the ...

, Saunders' career was put in jeopardy when he suffered a double hernia and torn pelvic muscles shortly after turning pro. This limited him to just three league appearances in his only season as a ''Trotter''. Crewe Alexandra manager

Dario Gradi Dario Gradi, MBE (born 8 July 1941) is an Italian-English former amateur football player, coach and manager. He was associated for more than 36 years with Crewe Alexandra, where he was variously manager, director of football and director of the ...

signed him, and Saunders went on to score two goals in 25 league and cup appearances for the club. He moved on to

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

, but was soon sidelined after picking up an ankle injury playing on the club's artificial pitch. He never made a first team appearance, however he impressed Grimsby Town captain

Don O'Riordan Donald Joseph O'Riordan (born 14 May 1957) is an Irish football coach and former professional player, who is the manager of Women's National League club Treaty United. O'Riordan notably played for Middlesbrough, Grimsby Town and Notts County ...

in a reserve team game, and so joined the club on a loan deal that was made permanent in August 1987. He impressed ''Mariners supporters with his work-rate and commitment, and his natural pace also helped him to bag thirteen league goals for the club in 76 appearances. In 1989, he moved on to

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

, where he made a further 32 appearances in

. The next year he moved into non-league football with Runcorn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Steve 1964 births Living people Footballers from Warrington English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Preston North End F.C. players Grimsby Town F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players Runcorn F.C. Halton players English Football League players Warrington Town F.C. players