Steve Castle

Steven Castle (born 17 May 1966) is English football manager and former player who is the manager of Southern League Premier Division Central side Royston Town. As a player, he spent most of his career playing as a midfielder.

Steve Castle
Castle in October 2020
Personal information
Full name Stephen Charles Castle[1]
Date of birth (1966-05-17) 17 May 1966
Place of birth Barkingside, England
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Royston Town (manager)
Youth career
Tottenham Hotspur
1982–1984 Leyton Orient
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1992 Leyton Orient 243 (55)
1992–1995 Plymouth Argyle 101 (35)
1995–1997 Birmingham City 23 (1)
1996 → Gillingham (loan) 6 (1)
1997 → Leyton Orient (loan) 4 (1)
1997–2000 Peterborough United 105 (20)
2000–2001 Leyton Orient 13 (0)
2001–2002 Stevenage Borough 6 (0)
2002–2004 St Albans City 49 (3)
Total 550 (117)
Managerial career
2006–2008 Cambridge United (assistant)
2008–2011 St Albans City
2011–2013 Takeley[2]
2013– Royston Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Castle played in the Football League between 1984 and 2001.[3] He played for Leyton Orient in three separate spells, amassing a total of 322 appearances for them. Castle's combative style attracted the attention of Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish and Wimbledon manager Bobby Gould. Castle explains the Wimbledon approach and discusses his early career in detail in an interview recorded early in 2020.[4] Castle was named in the PFA Third division team of the year for the 1990/91 season. A Twitter poll in 2014 saw Castle voted as Orient's greatest ever captain.

He also played League football with Plymouth Argyle, Birmingham City, Gillingham and Peterborough United.[3][5]

Plymouth Argyle boss Peter Shilton was seeking a midfield general to rally his new-look squad following relegation from the second tier in 1992. On the advice of a scout, he took in a game at Brisbane Road and left at half-time, instructing Argyle director Denis Angilley to start negotiations as he had "seen enough" of his target. A£225,000 transfer fee duly paid, Castle headed to Home Park and was promptly injured in a pre-season friendly. Argyle fans would have to wait until late October to see their new midfield marvel in meaningful action, but it turned out to be well worth the wait. He scored on his debut in a 2–0 victory against Wigan Athletic, and by season's end had notched up 12 more. He continued in a similar vein the following season as Argyle marched to the playoffs, bagging 16 goals by Christmas and eventually ending the campaign with 22. The undisputed highlight of his Argyle career (and one of his own personal highlights, incidentally) was a record-breaking hat-trick in a fine 3–2 win at Stockport County in December 1993. His three goals in six second-half minutes were an astonishing feat and one that confirmed his place as a firm favourite of the fans. Indeed, 'Super Stevie Castle' became Home Park's undisputed golden boy thanks to his barnstorming, all-action style and a left foot that developed an intimate relationship with the back of the net. Castle was named alongside his midfield partner Steve McCall in the all-time Argyle XI in a poll taken on the club's website in 2011. He was named in the PFA Second division team of the year for the 1993/94 season before transferring to Birmingham City in 1995.[6]

Castle joined Peterborough United on a free transfer as player-coach for the 1997–98 season, and over the next three seasons he played 122 senior matches and scored 20 goals winning the play-off final at Wembley in his final game. He moved to Leyton Orient on a free for 2000/01.[7] In his final season at Orient Castle gained his UEFA 'A' coaching licence. Castle retired due to a persistent knee injury.

Managerial career

In September 2006 he became assistant manager to Jimmy Quinn at Cambridge United.[8]

Royston Town

On 13 December 2013 he became Royston Town manager with his first game in charge being the Boxing Day home fixture against top of the table Dunstable Town.[9]

Honours

Individual

References
  1. "Steve Castle". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  2. "Takeley boss Steve Castle to leave the club". 16 December 2013.
  3. Soccerbase player stats
  4. STEVE CASTLE ON LEYTON ORIENT CAREER, BULLYING IN FOOTBALL, WIMBLEDON TRANSFER DEAL FALLING APART. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  5. Steve Castle at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
  6. "Steve Castle". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  7. Chris Wilkinson. "Steve Castle: Career History". Up the Posh – The Peterborough United database. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  8. "Castle joins Quinn at Cambridge". BBC. 19 September 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  9. "Castle to quit Takeley for Royston". Herts and Essex Observer. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  10. Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 148.
  11. Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 150.
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