37 Facts About Steve Cherry

Steve Cherry made over 690 league and cup appearances in a 20-year career in the Football League and Conference, playing in the top five divisions of the English game.

Steve Cherry won three caps for the England Youth Team in 1978.

Steve Cherry was Neil Warnock's first signing as Notts County manager, and the club found instant success under Warnock's stewardship, winning promotions from the Third Division to the First Division via the play-offs in 1990 and 1991.

Steve Cherry played in two Anglo-Italian Cup finals, as County finished as runners-up in 1994 and champions in 1995.

Steve Cherry moved on to Watford in July 1995 before rejoining Plymouth Argyle on loan in February 1996.

Steve Cherry helped Plymouth to win the Third Division play-offs in 1996, his third such success with Neil Warnock and fifth appearance at Wembley.

Steve Cherry won the Staffordshire Senior Cup with Kidsgrove in 2004.

Steve Cherry later coached at Notts County and Macclesfield Town.

Steve Reginald Cherry was born at Nottingham General Hospital on 5 August 1960 and grew up in Calverton, Nottinghamshire.

Steve Cherry was born into a mining family: his parents were Harold and Lonorah Cherry, a colliery electrician and housewife respectively.

Steve Cherry had the opportunity to follow his father into the mines should his fledging football career not work out.

Steve Cherry represented the Midland Intermediate League, though had his reserve team opportunities limited until Boulton left the club.

Steve Cherry was given his first professional contract in 1978, still with six months left to run of his apprenticeship contract.

Steve Cherry was called up to the England Youth Team later in the year and won four caps: two playing against Las Palmas Select' team, one against the USSR and one against Italy.

Steve Cherry started his first competitive game for Derby as John Middleton was ruled unfit due to a shoulder injury for a First Division fixture against Southampton at the Baseball Ground on 16 February 1980.

Steve Cherry was in goal for eight matches, four each in the Fourth Division and FA Cup.

Steve Cherry's performance was described on Match of the Day as "a most accomplished exhibition in the art of goalkeeping" by Jimmy Hill, with Bob Wilson adding that he was "brilliant".

Steve Cherry was voted the club's Player of the Year in May 1983.

Walsall played former club Derby four times during the season as they drew them in the first round of the Associate Members' Cup and Steve Cherry was subjected to taunting from Derby fans throughout the games, which he admitted "was an occupational hazard, but it still gets to you".

Steve Cherry was an instant success with the Walsall fans however, and was voted as the club's Player of the Season.

Steve Cherry felt that long travel times from Devon to his Midlands home were not helping his form, so he moved to Plymouth in the summer of 1987.

Steve Cherry was Neil Warnock's first signing as the club's manager.

Steve Cherry later compared joining his hometown club as like "winning the lottery" and "my family has supported Notts for more than a 100 years".

Steve Cherry immediately replaced Mick Leonard in goal as Warnock built his own team.

Steve Cherry later recalled that Warnock had taken the team sledging in the snow at Wollaton Park in order to relax before the match.

County picked up 15 points from their opening 11 games and Steve Cherry signed a new four-year contract with the club; chairman Derek Pavis said that Steve Cherry and midfielder Don O'Riordan's signings had "completed the jigsaw" for the club.

Steve Cherry was dropped in favour of Bob Catlin for the season opener at Birmingham City, though was returned to the starting line-up the following week.

However, Steve Cherry's weight became an issue as he reached 14 stone.

Steve Cherry went on to play on a part-time basis for Kettering Town after being contacted by manager Steve Berry.

Steve Cherry returned to the Conference with Stalybridge Celtic in January 1998, making ten appearances in a brief stay at Bower Fold.

Steve Cherry spent three months coaching at Notts County under Sam Allardyce in 1999.

Steve Cherry joined Lincoln City as the club's goalkeeping coach in 2001 and registered as a player after signing on non-contract terms in March 2003 to provide cover for first-choice goalkeeper Alan Marriott.

Steve Cherry joined Kidsgrove as cover for the injured Phil McGing and his son joined the club at the same time.

Steve Cherry was appointed as goalkeeping coach at Macclesfield Town in July 2008, but left the job in May 2010 after an illness required that he undergo heart surgery.

Steve Cherry married Julie, a secretary, on 22 December 1979.

Steve Cherry began working as a forklift driver at Imperial Tobacco in Nottingham in 1999.

The book was written by Jonathan Nicholas, who in his former career had patrolled around the Meadow Lane pitch as a policeman when Steve Cherry played as a goalkeeper at Notts County.