Steve Raffell born April 27 1970
Blyth-born Steve was a member of the Rovers Youth Team which reached the Final of the FA Youth Cup in 1987-88, losing on aggregate to Arsenal.
Earlier that season he had made his senior debut against Arsenal’s first team in a League Cup tie, which Rovers lost 0-4 on aggregate.
A central defender, Steve was twice called upon as an emergency goalkeeper in 1988-89, once when Paul Malcolm was sent off, the other when the tall stopper suffered a broken leg.
In all, he made 63 senior appearances for Rovers before leaving in the summer of 1990 and moving on to Boston United. Subsequently he spent several seasons with his home-town club, Blyth Spartans.
