Steve Lane

DOB: 1st January 1970

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 1989/90

Season of last appearance: 1989/90

Full Appearances: 32

Substitute: 5

Goals: 4

Also played for:

Erith & Belvedere, Welling United and Leyton-Wingate

Player Profile:

Left-sided player who had trials at Charlton and Millwall as a schoolboy before starting his senior career with Erith & Belvedere in the Kent League.

Steve made his first appearances during 1980/81 and scored nine goals as the Deres won the league title the following season. In August 1982 he played in the club's first Southern League match before moving on to Welling later in the 1982/83 campaign. He'd made a total of 48 appearances (one as sub) for the Deres and scored 14 goals.

Steve joined Isthmian League Leyton-Wingate during 1983/84 and scored 21 goals before the end of the campaign. During the 1984/85 season he got another 27 goals and played in Leyton's 2-0 defeat at Swansea City in the 1st Round Proper of the FA Cup. Steve went on to score a club record 126 goals in 310 appearances for Leyton before leaving the club to join Margate in the summer of 1989.

He made his debut on 15.8.89 in a 3-1 win over Ramsgate at Hartsdown Park - the annual Gazette Cup game Steve was mainly used as a winger during the early stages of 1989/90 and the Thanet Times praised his "Skilful sorties down the left" during a 0-0 draw at home to Yate on 18.8.89. He was a regular in the side for the first two months of the season but by the end of October Steve had fallen out of favour. He'd struggled to win the approval of the Margate supporters and the Thanet Extra's report for a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Poole on 11.11.89 said that Steve "bore the brunt of the crowd's frustration" at Hartsdown. Soon afterwards he left the club but towards the end of December Steve returned and made his comeback in a 1-0 home defeat against Witney on 30.12.89. From then on he was virtually ever-present for the rest of the campaign, usually playing in his favoured strikers role having previously been mostly used as a wide player. On 20.1.90 Steve scored his first goals for Margate in his 15th start for the club, bagging a brace in a 5-0 thrashing of Sheppey at Hartsdown. His header to break his scoring duck was described as being "a fine goal" by the Extra. He went on to score twice more before the end of the season and made his last appearance of the campaign in a 2-1 defeat at Fareham on 5.5.90. Steve then left the club in the summer of 1990 having played 37 times (five as sub) and scored four goals.

During his career Steve played for the Kent League X1, Isthmian League X1, Essex FA X1, Middlesex Wanderers and an FA X1.

He worked as a taxi driver in London and lived in Bexley whilst with Margate.