Charles attended
Columbia University in the United States where he was the 1979
Ivy League MVP and a 1979
First Team All American. an English former schoolboy international,
Sheffield-born Steve Charles began his football career at
Sheffield United while still a university student. He signed a professional contract with the Blades in January 1980, and went on to make over a hundred appearances for the Blades, helping the team gain promotion from
Division Four in
1982. In November 1984, he moved to
Wrexham where he spent two and a half years and lifted the
Welsh Cup in 1986. In the summer of 1987, Charles moved to
Mansfield Town for a £15,000 transfer fee, making his debut on 15 August 1987 against
Bristol City. In his first season at
Field Mill, he was ever-present in the side and scored 12 goals, many of them from free kicks. He spent six seasons at Mansfield, playing 278 games for the club in all competitions, scoring 47 goals. He is a member of the Mansfield Town Hall of Fame. He left to join
Scarborough in February 1993, and also had a short loan spell at
Scunthorpe United near the end of his time in Mansfield. Charles played nearly 150 games for Scarborough during a three-year spell, and then continued his career in the non-league game, where he played for
Stalybridge Celtic and
Boston United until he was 40 years old. ==Coaching career==