Steve Mills (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen John Mills | ||
| Date of birth | 9 December 1953 | ||
| Place of birth | Portsmouth, England | ||
| Date of death | 1 August 1988 (aged 34) | ||
| Place of death | Southampton, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Playing position | Full back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1969–1971 | Southampton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1971–1977 | Southampton | 61 | (0) |
| 1976 | → Miami Toros (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 1977–1978 | Weymouth | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Stephen John "Steve" Mills (9 December 1953 – 1 August 1988) was a professional footballer with Southampton who career was cut short by a serious car accident and died of leukaemia aged 34.
Mills was born in Portsmouth, the grandson of Portsmouth's 1934 FA Cup goalkeeper, Jock Gilfillan. He attended Gosport County Grammar School and represented Hampshire Schools. He came to The Dell on a week's trial as a 15-year-old schoolboy and was promptly snapped up by manager Ted Bates, joining the Saints as a trainee in February 1969, signing as a professional in July 1971.
He was extremely quick and a fierce tackler – a natural right-back. He made his debut on 3 October 1972 (aged 18) against Notts County in the Football League Cup. At the end of the 1972–73 season he made his league debut, and in the following season, became a regular full-back. A series of impressive appearances for Southampton earned him recognition for England at under-23 level.
He appeared to be on the verge of an illustrious career, when he was involved in a serious car accident in February 1975. He was on his way home from a night out with friends at Portsmouth Greyhound Stadium, when the car in which he was travelling hit a kerb and overturned. Whilst the other occupants of the car survived with minor injuries, Steve sustained a fractured pelvis and back injuries. At the time, doctors questioned whether he would ever walk again, but within 12 weeks he was out of hospital.
After a gruelling stint at an Army rehabilitation centre, he flew to the USA where he played football for Miami Toros to regain match fitness. He made his comeback match on the final day of the 1975–76 season, a week before the FA Cup final, replacing the suspended David Peach. Sadly, his fitness had been irrevocably damaged and he was forced to give up the game after 2 matches in the following season.
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