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Alexander Cyril Stepney (born 18 September 1942) is an English former footballer who was Manchester United's goalkeeper when they became the first English club to win the European Cup.
In May 1966, Stepney joined Chelsea for £50,000. Manager Tommy Docherty initially intended to play Stepney and fellow goalkeeper Peter Bonetti in alternate weeks, but just three months later Stepney was sold to Manchester United for a record fee of £55,000, having made just one appearance for the club. With Harry Gregg's career virtually ended by injury, the Manchester United manager, Matt Busby, opted for Stepney after deciding that neither Pat Dunne nor the injury-prone David Gaskell was up to the job. Stepney made his debut for United later the same year against Manchester City at Old Trafford, and he kept a clean sheet as United won 1–0 through a first-half goal from Denis Law.
At the start of that season, Stepney had conceded a goal to his opposite number at Tottenham Hotspur, Pat Jennings, in the 1967 FA Charity Shield at Old Trafford. With Tottenham leading 1–0, Jennings punted the ball upfield from the Stretford End; the ball bounced over the stranded Stepney into the net. The game ended 3–3 with United's goals coming from Bobby Charlton (2) and Denis Law.
Ramsey kept Stepney in his thoughts in his preparations for England's defence of the FIFA World Cup in 1970, for which England did not have to qualify having won the previous tournament, but did not give him another cap as the likes of Bonetti and West added to their meagre tallies of appearances. However, when the preliminary squad of 27 was announced, Stepney was in, along with Banks, Bonetti and uncapped rookie Peter Shilton, with no sign of West. When the final 22 who would travel to Mexico was confirmed, Shilton was the goalkeeper sent home.
Nevertheless, Stepney was clearly the third-choice goalkeeper in the squad and the chances of his appearing on the pitch in Mexico were small. When Banks went down with food poisoning prior to the quarter-final with West Germany, it was the slightly more experienced Bonetti – who had six caps to Stepney's one – to whom Ramsey turned, although Stepney did make it onto the substitutes' bench. England squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3–2 and it was Stepney who told the groggy, ill Banks the scoreline in his hotel room by holding up three fingers on one hand and two on the other.
The next two seasons saw Stepney as the wise head behind a new, youthful team collated by Docherty courtesy of some astute purchases and a prolific youth set-up. During this period, Stepney had to compete with Paddy Roche for a regular starting position. Stepney was the only player with any Wembley experience at club level at all when United reached the 1976 FA Cup final and the nerves of the youngsters got the better of them as Southampton, a division below United but containing some experienced heads of Stepney's generation, won 1–0. Stepney had no chance with the goal from Bobby Stokes, a late, low, crossfield shot which United claimed fruitlessly was from an offside position.
United reached the cup final again in 1977, against Liverpool, and this time were successful. Stepney got a hand to a bullet shot on the turn from Jimmy Case but could not stop it entering the net and levelling the match after Stuart Pearson had scored for United. Jimmy Greenhoff quickly restored United's lead and Stepney made some good saves in the closing stages as Liverpool, chasing an unprecedented 'treble' of trophies (having already won the league title, and just days later going on to win the European Cup), piled on the pressure.
Stepney was the only player in the 1977 FA Cup-winning team remaining from the European Cup-winning side of nine years earlier. Stepney was also the last remaining player to play for the club under manager Matt Busby.
He kept 175 , made a club record 92 consecutive appearances (later broken by Steve Coppell) and, with those two goals, remains United's top scoring goalkeeper. Aside from Peter Schmeichel (who scored in a 1995–96 UEFA Cup game), no other Manchester United goalkeeper has scored in a competitive game for the club after World War II.
Towards the end of his career, he turned out for non-league side Altrincham in the early 1980s, when they were competing in the Alliance Premier League. He helped them win the Alliance Premier League title in 1980–81 (they had won it the 1979–80 season as well), but they did not win promotion to the Football League as the re-election system was still in place and the majority of the league's members voted against them joining the Football League, ending Stepney's hopes of a professional comeback.
Stepney became a goalkeeping coach after he stopped playing, including a spell at Manchester City in 2000–01. He also works as an public speaking and currently hosts The Legends Football Phone in on 105.4 Century Radio in Manchester, replacing Mickey Thomas – another former Manchester United player.
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