Alex Stepney
Encyclopedia
Alexander Cyril "Alex" Stepney (born 18 September 1942 in Mitcham
, Surrey
) is a former English
football player who was Manchester United
's goalkeeper when they became the first English club to win the European Cup
.
and joined Tooting & Mitcham United in the non-league pyramid afterwards. From there, he was spotted by Millwall
, who signed him as an amateur in 1963, but quickly realised his potential and made him a professional within two months of his arrival. Stepney was ever-present for almost three seasons, making 158 appearances, only missing the last game of the 1965–66 season. During this period, he achieved three England under-23 caps.
In May 1966, Stepney joined Chelsea
for £50,000. Manager Tommy Docherty
initially intended to play Stepney and fellow goalkeeper Peter Bonetti
in alternate weeks, but just three months later Stepney was sold to Manchester United
for a record fee of £55,000, having made just one appearance for the club. He made his debut for United later the same year against Manchester City
at Old Trafford
which United won 1–0 with a first half goal from Denis Law
.
in 1967, entitling them to entry into the European Cup the following season, a competition which no English club had yet won. Stepney featured throughout United's progress to the final at Wembley
, memorably making a late close-range save from Benfica striker Eusebio
in the closing stages with the score at 1–1. Eusébio was so astonished at Stepney's save – he caught a vicious close-range shot – that he stopped to applaud the keeper as Stepney threw the ball back into play. United eventually won 4–1 after extra time. Stepney will also be remembered for conceding a goal scored by Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, Pat Jennings
, in the 1967 Charity Shield
match at Old Trafford. With Tottenham leading 1–0, Jennings punted the ball upfield from the Stretford End
. The ball bounced over the stranded Stepney into the net. The game ended 3–3.
team. Gordon Banks
was the undisputed number one, with Peter Bonetti
, Gordon West
and the more experienced Ron Springett
all in Stepney's way. When England qualified for the final stages of the 1968 European Championships, coach Alf Ramsey
selected Stepney and West as his two back-up keepers to Banks and, in what turned into a momentous week for Stepney, he made his England debut in a friendly win over Sweden
in May 1968, seven days before the European Cup final. England won 3–1.
Ramsey kept Stepney in his thoughts in his preparations for England's defence of the 1970 World Cup, for which England didn't have to qualify due to their status as holders, but didn't give him another cap as the likes of Bonetti and West added to their meagre tallies of appearances. However, when the preliminary squad of 27 was announced, Stepney was in, along with Banks, Bonetti and uncapped rookie Peter Shilton
, with no sign of West. When the final 22 who would travel to Mexico
was confirmed, Shilton was the goalkeeper sent home.
Nevertheless, Stepney was clearly the third choice goalkeeper in the squad and the chances of his appearing on the pitch in Mexico were negligible. When Banks went down with food poisoning prior to the quarter final with West Germany
, it was to the slightly more experienced Bonetti – who had six caps to Stepney's one – whom Ramsey turned. England squandered a two goal lead to lose 3–2 and it was Stepney who told the groggy, ill Banks the scoreline in his hotel room by holding up three fingers on one hand and two on the other.
in 1974, a season which saw Stepney, unusually for a goalkeeper, score two goals from penalties thus making him the (joint) leading scorer at Christmas By now, with Stepney's former Chelsea manager Tommy Docherty
in charge, they bounced back as champions the following season (1974–75). During this time, Stepney suffered a freak injury when he dislocated his jaw barking instructions at his disorganised defence.
The next two seasons saw Stepney as the wise head behind a new, youthful team collated by Docherty courtesy of some astute purchases and a prolific youth set-up. Stepney was the only player with any Wembley experience at club level at all when United reached the 1976 FA Cup
final and the nerves of the youngsters got the better of them as Southampton
, a division below United but containing some experienced heads of Stepney's generation, won 1–0. Stepney had no chance with the goal from Bobby Stokes
, a late, low, crossfield shot which United claimed fruitlessly was from an offside position.
United reached the Cup Final again in 1976–77
and this time were successful. Stepney got a hand to a bullet shot on the turn from Jimmy Case
but couldn't stop it entering the net and levelling the match after Stuart Pearson
had scored for United. Jimmy Greenhoff
quickly restored United's lead and Stepney made some good saves in the closing stages as Liverpool, chasing an unprecedented 'treble' of trophies (having already won the Football League title, and just days later going on to win the European Cup), piled on the pressure.
Stepney was the only player in the 1977 FA Cup winning team remaining from the European Cup winning side of nine years earlier.
in the North American Soccer League
in the United States
, where he remained until he retired from professional football in 1980.
He kept 175 clean sheets, made a club record 92 consecutive appearances (later broken by Steve Coppell
) and, with those two goals, remains United's top scoring goalkeeper. Aside Peter Schmeichel
(who scored in a UEFA Cup
game in the 1995–96 season
) no other Manchester United goalkeeper has scored in a competitive game for the club in the post Second World War years.
Towards the end of his career, he turned out for non-league side Altrincham
in the early 1980s, when they were competing in the Alliance Premier League (which became the Football Conference
in 1986). He helped them win the Alliance Premier League title in 1980–81
(they had won it the 1979–80 season
as well), but they did not win promotion to the Football League as the re-election system was still in place and the majority of the league's members voting against them joining the Football League, ending Stepney's hopes of a professional comeback.
Stepney became a coach specialising in goalkeeping after he stopped playing, including a spell at Manchester City as recently as 2000–01. He also works as an after-dinner speaker and currently hosts The Legends Football Phone in on 105.4 Century Radio in Manchester, replacing Mickey Thomas – another former Manchester United player.
Mitcham
Mitcham is a district in the south west area of London, in the London Borough of Merton. A suburban area, Mitcham is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is both residentially and financially developed, well served by Transport for London, and home to Mitcham Town Centre,...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) is a former English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football player who was Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
's goalkeeper when they became the first English club to win the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.
London beginnings
Stepney had unsuccessful trials with FulhamFulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and joined Tooting & Mitcham United in the non-league pyramid afterwards. From there, he was spotted by Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, who signed him as an amateur in 1963, but quickly realised his potential and made him a professional within two months of his arrival. Stepney was ever-present for almost three seasons, making 158 appearances, only missing the last game of the 1965–66 season. During this period, he achieved three England under-23 caps.
In May 1966, Stepney joined Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
for £50,000. Manager Tommy Docherty
Tommy Docherty
Thomas Henderson "Tommy" Docherty , commonly known as "The Doc", is a Scottish former footballer and football manager.-Playing career:...
initially intended to play Stepney and fellow goalkeeper Peter Bonetti
Peter Bonetti
Peter Phillip Bonetti is a former football goalkeeper for Chelsea, the St. Louis Stars, Dundee United and England. Bonetti was known for his safe handling, lightning reflexes and his graceful style, for which he was given the nickname, "The Cat"...
in alternate weeks, but just three months later Stepney was sold to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
for a record fee of £55,000, having made just one appearance for the club. He made his debut for United later the same year against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
which United won 1–0 with a first half goal from Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
.
League and European honours
With Stepney in goal, Manchester United won the League ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
in 1967, entitling them to entry into the European Cup the following season, a competition which no English club had yet won. Stepney featured throughout United's progress to the final at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, memorably making a late close-range save from Benfica striker Eusebio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
in the closing stages with the score at 1–1. Eusébio was so astonished at Stepney's save – he caught a vicious close-range shot – that he stopped to applaud the keeper as Stepney threw the ball back into play. United eventually won 4–1 after extra time. Stepney will also be remembered for conceding a goal scored by Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, Pat Jennings
Pat Jennings
Patrick Anthony "Pat" Jennings OBE is a Northern Ireland former football player. He played 119 games for Northern Ireland as a goalkeeper, a figure which at the time was a world record and is still a Northern Ireland record, in an international career which lasted for over 22 years...
, in the 1967 Charity Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
match at Old Trafford. With Tottenham leading 1–0, Jennings punted the ball upfield from the Stretford End
Stretford End
The Stretford End, officially named West Stand, is a stand on the west side of Old Trafford, the stadium of Manchester United F.C. It took its name from the town of Stretford, in which the stadium is located, as it is in the direction of the centre of Stretford, looking from the centre of the pitch...
. The ball bounced over the stranded Stepney into the net. The game ended 3–3.
International recognition
Although a highly talented keeper, Stepney was a distance down the pecking order when it came to the EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
team. Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
was the undisputed number one, with Peter Bonetti
Peter Bonetti
Peter Phillip Bonetti is a former football goalkeeper for Chelsea, the St. Louis Stars, Dundee United and England. Bonetti was known for his safe handling, lightning reflexes and his graceful style, for which he was given the nickname, "The Cat"...
, Gordon West
Gordon West
Gordon West is an English former professional football goalkeeper.-Blackpool:He made his debut for Blackpool at the age of 17...
and the more experienced Ron Springett
Ron Springett
Ronald "Ron" Deryk George Springett was a football goalkeeper for Sheffield Wednesday, QPR and England.-Career:Springett made 33 appearances for England, then the most by any Sheffield Wednesday player. He held this record for 26 years. He made his England debut against Northern Ireland in 1959...
all in Stepney's way. When England qualified for the final stages of the 1968 European Championships, coach Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
selected Stepney and West as his two back-up keepers to Banks and, in what turned into a momentous week for Stepney, he made his England debut in a friendly win over Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
in May 1968, seven days before the European Cup final. England won 3–1.
Ramsey kept Stepney in his thoughts in his preparations for England's defence of the 1970 World Cup, for which England didn't have to qualify due to their status as holders, but didn't give him another cap as the likes of Bonetti and West added to their meagre tallies of appearances. However, when the preliminary squad of 27 was announced, Stepney was in, along with Banks, Bonetti and uncapped rookie Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
, with no sign of West. When the final 22 who would travel to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
was confirmed, Shilton was the goalkeeper sent home.
Nevertheless, Stepney was clearly the third choice goalkeeper in the squad and the chances of his appearing on the pitch in Mexico were negligible. When Banks went down with food poisoning prior to the quarter final with West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, it was to the slightly more experienced Bonetti – who had six caps to Stepney's one – whom Ramsey turned. England squandered a two goal lead to lose 3–2 and it was Stepney who told the groggy, ill Banks the scoreline in his hotel room by holding up three fingers on one hand and two on the other.
United's fall and rise
Stepney was occasionally recalled by Ramsey but would ultimately not add to his solitary England cap, with Shilton emerging as the new deputy and ultimate long-term replacement. He continued to play in goal for Manchester United in a period of significant underachievement for the club, which culminated in their relegation to the Second DivisionFootball League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
in 1974, a season which saw Stepney, unusually for a goalkeeper, score two goals from penalties thus making him the (joint) leading scorer at Christmas By now, with Stepney's former Chelsea manager Tommy Docherty
Tommy Docherty
Thomas Henderson "Tommy" Docherty , commonly known as "The Doc", is a Scottish former footballer and football manager.-Playing career:...
in charge, they bounced back as champions the following season (1974–75). During this time, Stepney suffered a freak injury when he dislocated his jaw barking instructions at his disorganised defence.
The next two seasons saw Stepney as the wise head behind a new, youthful team collated by Docherty courtesy of some astute purchases and a prolific youth set-up. Stepney was the only player with any Wembley experience at club level at all when United reached the 1976 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final and the nerves of the youngsters got the better of them as Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, a division below United but containing some experienced heads of Stepney's generation, won 1–0. Stepney had no chance with the goal from Bobby Stokes
Bobby Stokes
Bobby Stokes was an English footballer, well known for scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute of the FA Cup Final for Southampton F.C. against Manchester United in 1976.-Early career:...
, a late, low, crossfield shot which United claimed fruitlessly was from an offside position.
United reached the Cup Final again in 1976–77
1976-77 in English football
The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level of points, replacing the traditional goal average tie-breaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring...
and this time were successful. Stepney got a hand to a bullet shot on the turn from Jimmy Case
Jimmy Case
James Robert Case is a retired English football player who shot to fame with the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1970s and became known as a player with one of the hardest shots in the game.-Early life:...
but couldn't stop it entering the net and levelling the match after Stuart Pearson
Stuart Pearson
James Stuart Pearson is an English former football player. He was a skilful forward who played in three FA Cup finals.-Hull City:...
had scored for United. Jimmy Greenhoff
Jimmy Greenhoff
James "Jimmy" Greenhoff is an English former football player. He was a skilful forward and although capped five times at under-23 level, once as an over-age player, he never played for the full side, and is labelled as the finest English player never to play for England...
quickly restored United's lead and Stepney made some good saves in the closing stages as Liverpool, chasing an unprecedented 'treble' of trophies (having already won the Football League title, and just days later going on to win the European Cup), piled on the pressure.
Stepney was the only player in the 1977 FA Cup winning team remaining from the European Cup winning side of nine years earlier.
End of an era
The following year, Stepney was again not an automatic choice, playing fewer than half of United's games in the League. He played the last of his 546 games for Manchester United in April 1978, prior to leaving for Dallas TornadoDallas Tornado
Dallas Tornado were a soccer team based in Dallas that played in the NASL. They played from 1967 to 1981. Their home fields were Cotton Bowl , P.C. Cobb Stadium , Franklin Field , Texas Stadium and Ownby Stadium on the SMU campus...
in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he remained until he retired from professional football in 1980.
He kept 175 clean sheets, made a club record 92 consecutive appearances (later broken by Steve Coppell
Steve Coppell
Stephen James "Steve" Coppell is an English former footballer and manager, currently without a club.As a player, he was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and represented England at the World Cup...
) and, with those two goals, remains United's top scoring goalkeeper. Aside Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel
Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993...
(who scored in a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
game in the 1995–96 season
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
) no other Manchester United goalkeeper has scored in a competitive game for the club in the post Second World War years.
Towards the end of his career, he turned out for non-league side Altrincham
Altrincham F.C.
Altrincham Football Club is an English association football club from Altrincham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Conference North, having been relegated from the Conference National at the end of the 2010–11 season.-History:...
in the early 1980s, when they were competing in the Alliance Premier League (which became the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
in 1986). He helped them win the Alliance Premier League title in 1980–81
1980-81 in English football
The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League introduced a three points for a win system in place of the two points for a win system which had operated since the league's formation in 1889...
(they had won it the 1979–80 season
1979-80 in English football
The 1979–80 season was the 100th season of competitive football in England.- FA Cup :Second Division West Ham United, managed by John Lyall, won the FA Cup, beating Arsenal 1–0 with a Trevor Brooking goal...
as well), but they did not win promotion to the Football League as the re-election system was still in place and the majority of the league's members voting against them joining the Football League, ending Stepney's hopes of a professional comeback.
Stepney became a coach specialising in goalkeeping after he stopped playing, including a spell at Manchester City as recently as 2000–01. He also works as an after-dinner speaker and currently hosts The Legends Football Phone in on 105.4 Century Radio in Manchester, replacing Mickey Thomas – another former Manchester United player.