Steve Wilkinson
Encyclopedia
Steve Wilkinson is a former professional football player who played as a striker for five different clubs in The Football League
. He is now head of the football development centre at Loughborough College
.
Wilkinson began his career at Leicester City
, where he came through the ranks and signed a professional contract in September 1986. He only played a handful of games for Leicester, and had a loan spell at Crewe Alexandra
before he was sold to Mansfield Town
in September 1989 for a £80,000 transfer fee – a club record at the time. He scored on his Mansfield debut on 3 October 1989 in a League Cup
match against Luton Town
, and finished the season as Mansfield's top scorer with 15 league goals.
His arguably finest moment in a Mansfield shirt came on 3 April 1990, when Wilkinson scored all five goals in Mansfield's 5-2 victory against Birmingham City
. The following season, Wilkinson's goals could not prevent Mansfield from being relegated from Division Three. However, largely thanks to the 40 league goals scored by Wilkinson and his strike partner Phil Stant
, Mansfield bounced straight back up in 1991–92, only to be relegated again the next season.
In 1994–95, Wilkinson had his most productive season, scoring 26 league goals, including a hat-trick against arch-rivals Chesterfield
, as Mansfield reached the playoffs
. The Stags missed out on promotion, however, losing 6–3 on aggregate against Chesterfield in the playoff semifinal. Later that summer, Wilkinson was sold to Preston North End
for £100,000. Overall, in all competitions, Wilkinson scored 91 goals for Mansfield, which places him third on the club's all-time scoring list behind Harry Johnson and Ken Wagstaff
.
Wilkinson spent two seasons at Preston, where he scored 18 goals and added a Division Three championship medal to his collection, before moving back to the East Midlands
in July 1997, when he joined Chesterfield. He spent three seasons at Chesterfield, scoring 15 goals, before retiring from the game in 2000. He now lives with his family in Eastwood
, Nottinghamshire
.
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. He is now head of the football development centre at Loughborough College
Loughborough College
Loughborough College is a college of Further Education in Leicestershire, England established in 1909. It is located opposite Loughborough University on Epinal Way, and adjacent to the Loughborough University School of Art and Design, situated next to the main entrance of the college...
.
Wilkinson began his career at Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, where he came through the ranks and signed a professional contract in September 1986. He only played a handful of games for Leicester, and had a loan spell at Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
before he was sold to Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
in September 1989 for a £80,000 transfer fee – a club record at the time. He scored on his Mansfield debut on 3 October 1989 in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
match against Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
, and finished the season as Mansfield's top scorer with 15 league goals.
His arguably finest moment in a Mansfield shirt came on 3 April 1990, when Wilkinson scored all five goals in Mansfield's 5-2 victory against Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. The following season, Wilkinson's goals could not prevent Mansfield from being relegated from Division Three. However, largely thanks to the 40 league goals scored by Wilkinson and his strike partner Phil Stant
Phil Stant
Philip Richard "Phil" Stant was a professional footballer who played as a striker notably for Cardiff City and Lincoln City...
, Mansfield bounced straight back up in 1991–92, only to be relegated again the next season.
In 1994–95, Wilkinson had his most productive season, scoring 26 league goals, including a hat-trick against arch-rivals Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
, as Mansfield reached the playoffs
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...
. The Stags missed out on promotion, however, losing 6–3 on aggregate against Chesterfield in the playoff semifinal. Later that summer, Wilkinson was sold to Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
for £100,000. Overall, in all competitions, Wilkinson scored 91 goals for Mansfield, which places him third on the club's all-time scoring list behind Harry Johnson and Ken Wagstaff
Ken Wagstaff
Kenneth "Ken" Wagstaff is a former English footballer noted for his playing career at Mansfield Town and Hull City football clubs. In 2000, club fans of both Mansfield Town and Hull City voted Wagstaff their club's player of the century - the only player to be named by two football league clubs...
.
Wilkinson spent two seasons at Preston, where he scored 18 goals and added a Division Three championship medal to his collection, before moving back to the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
in July 1997, when he joined Chesterfield. He spent three seasons at Chesterfield, scoring 15 goals, before retiring from the game in 2000. He now lives with his family in Eastwood
Eastwood, Nottinghamshire
Eastwood is a former coal mining town in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England. With a population of over 18,000, it is northwest of Nottingham, and northeast of Derby, on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Mentioned in Domesday Book, it expanded rapidly during the...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
.