A talented youth team player, Steve Walford had the height, but not quite the application to make it at Tottenham, but he went on to serve a number of other clubs with varying degrees of success.
A good school player, he attended Holloway School and represented Islington Boys. Trained with West Ham and was also wanted by Arsenal (the club he supported as a boy) before joining Spurs.
Tall, but looking leggy and ungainly, Steve Walford did not look the archetypal footballer, but although he failed to impress at Tottenham after two appearances in the first team as a 17 year old, he did go on to play for many years at other clubs, where he proved an adequate player.
On leaving Tottenham, he became one of the few who made the journey across North London to join Arsenal and while he was still a young player, he did not establish himself in the side and the highpoint of his time at Highbury was the second half substitute appearance in the 1979 FA Cup Final win over Manchester United.
Moved on to Carrow Road in 1981, where he had a more substantial career and then onto West Ham United (from where he went on loan to Huddersfield Town, Gillingham and West Bromwich Albion), where he again played a fair number of games. Also played in Hong Kong, in Turkey, at Wycombe Wanderers and Wealdstone.
Never really realised the potential he had as a youngster and has been more noted for his work alongside his former Norwich City team-mate and Wycombe boss Martin O'Neill as a coach with him at Leicester City, Glasgow Celtic, Aston Villa and Sunderland. Linked up with Neil Lennon at the Northern Ireland national side and became his assistant, following him to Bolton Wanders, but leaving in 2016.