Leicester City In 100 Players: Steve Walsh
An inspirational defender, Walsh made 449 appearances and scored 62 goals for Leicester between 1986 and 2000.
On 23 August, 1986, his LCFC debut came in a top flight fixture against Luton Town. He had already played over 150 games for Wigan Athletic and at £100,000 he was new manager Bryan Hamilton’s first signing. Walsh went onto become one of the most admired players in the Foxes’ history.
Voted Leicester City’s all-time folk hero in a 2004 BBC TV poll, his performance on the field as a player and a captain consistently demonstrated total passion, bravery and commitment.
During his 14 years at the Club, he appeared in all but one of Leicester City’s seven Wembley finals between 1992 and 2000. He missed the seventh through suspension. He was central to many memorable moments in the Club’s history.
Player of the Year in 1988, he was involved in the infamous penalty incident with David Speedie in the Play-Off final against Blackburn Rovers in 1992. When manager Brian Little moved him up front for the 1992/93 season, he was top scorer with 15 goals. That season, he also scored in the ultimately unsuccessful dramatic comeback in the Play-Off Final against Swindon Town for a place in the Premier League.
The following year, despite missing most of the season with a cruciate ligament injury, he famously came back, half fit, to star as a striker in the Play-Off Final against Derby County. His two goals that day are forever etched on City fans’ memories.
Returning to Wembley for the 1996 Play-Off Final, Walsh captained Leicester back to the Premier League following Steve Claridge’s winning goal against Crystal Palace seconds before the end of extra time.
In yet another trip to Wembley in 1997, for the League Cup Final, he was involved in Emile Heskey’s goal which earned a replay at Hillsborough and in Claridge’s strike which took the League Cup back Leicester.
As well as playing in the UEFA Cup and in another League Cup Final in 1999, Walsh contributed massively to Leicester’s four successive top ten finishes in the Premier League under Martin O’Neill.
During this period he further cemented his place in the Club’s history with his last gasp equaliser against Arsenal in the 3-3 draw at Filbert Street in 1997 and with the dramatic volleyed equaliser against Fulham in the League Cup, on the way to another victorious League Cup Final in 2000.