Steve scored goals galore
and still loves his football
Steve Summers burst onto the Pembrokeshire Football scene as a teenager when he appeared in four successive Senior Cup finals by the time he was 20 and maintained his high reputation as a proven goal scorer with a variety of clubs until injuries to knee and ankle forced him to retire at the age of 35.
This month we popped up to Goodwick to chat to Steve, now a youthful-looking 40 who still maintains an active interest in local football, especially at Goodwick United, whom he watches most weekends, and especially with regard to their junior football since his 12 year old son Keegan is following his dad into the goal-grabbing end of the game and Steve helps out Bernie Armstrong when required because Bernie really values his contribution and encouragement for the kids.
It was at Goodwick that Steve set out in football as an 11 year old playing six a side and he was selected for the Dyfed under 11s team which played at Ninian Park, Cardiff, as a curtain-raiser for the Wales versus Scotland senior international which took place before a huge crowd.
Four successive finals – with three different clubs
He was very small at the time and stopped playing for a couple of seasons but by the time he was 16, with great encouragement from dad Neil, he was back in action at Solva and did so well that in his very first season he was called into their team for the Senior Cup Final against Johnston at the Old Bridge Meadow. They lost 3-0 and Nobby Howells missed a penalty but Steve will never forget what was a great day out for a teenager.
He moved back to Goodwick at the start of the next campaign and they battled their way into the final, where they beat Milford Athletic in a replay at Pembroke Borough’s ground at London Road, Pembroke Dock. 18 year old Steve and Goodwick were back for the final the following season and after a titanic struggle against Merlin’s Bridge over three matches lost the silverware to the Wizards.
Steve decided to play for Fishguard Sports the next season and - guess what? They played well enough to reach the final and beat Narberth 1-0 thanks to a Paul Hayman header, so Steve had four Senior Cup medals before he was 20 years old, something that is unlikely to be matched for a long while, especially with three different clubs!
League and county honours
He also won the league trophy with the Sports as he bagged 61 goals in the season, playing alongside the likes of Keith Gardham and Bernie Armstrong, with 41 league goals to win the West Wales Guardian Cup from Bill Carne as the league’s top scorer, added another 17 in cup matches and grabbed three goals whilst playing for the Pembrokeshire League in the cup against the Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath Leagues. Also involved in that county team were the likes of Glyn Graham in goal, Micky Ellis, Paul Phillips, Bernie Armstrong, Brian Kinsella, Tony Jones, Glyn Ruloff and a very talented 17 year old in Mark Delaney, who went on to play for Aston Villa and skipper Wales. They needed to beat Neath by at least 2-0 in their final match on the Bridge Meadow and did that as Paul Phillips and Steve claimed the goals. As a result of that win Steve joined Mark Delaney and Glyn Ruloff as local representatives in a Dyfed side which played in Abergavenny against East Wales but the match was abandoned after 60 minutes when a bad injury brought an early halt. He also won a league medal with Goodwick as Brian Morris blasted the winner into the top corner of the net against Monkton Swifts to take them to the silverware.
Welsh League at the Borough and the Bluebirds
Steve also tried his luck in the Welsh League at Pembroke Borough under the managership of Peter Fearn and although he got on well with Des Shanklin he never really settled, despite trying on two separate occasions, and still wishes he had given it more time – but there was lots of travel and it was hard, especially with work commitments. He also signed for Haverfordwest County but only had one call-up, coincidentally against the Borough on an Easter Bank Holiday. He played up front alongside former Swansea City and Wales striker Alan Curtis, and scored the only goal of a tight match, but wasn’t asked to play again!
Long time Manchester United fan
Outside of his own playing, Steve has been an avid Manchester United fan from the time he was a nipper and attended Old Trafford for a trial. Brian Robson had just signed for United and he came into the changing rooms, and Steve also saw Remi Moses and goalkeeper Gary Bailey – but sadly nothing came of stay but he has stayed faithful and was thrilled to watch them beat AC Milan in the semi-final of the European Cup when a Wayne Rooney goal saw them beat the Italians 3-2.
Finished in style
If his top goal haul was for Fishguard Sports he also managed to grab plenty of goals for Goodwick and he netted 40-goals when he was 27 years old. He was still at when he decided it was time to step down because it took him so long to recover from the knocks – yet managed to amass another 35 goals in his final campaign with the club. He also plays tennis during the summer as a means of keeping fit but still lists football as by far his favourite sport – and loves watching Keegan play, as well as still supporting Goodwick United on Saturdays.
As Steve told pembrokeshiresport.co.uk,
