 Whilst at Derby County Steve suffered a major injury to his Achilles' tendon which resulted in two operations and almost two seasons missed of his Derby career.He rejoined Notts County, by now in the First Division, on a non-contract basis, before joining Bournemouth on a free transfer in March 1982.He made 46 league appearances for Bournemouth, scoring once, before joining Torquay United, again on a free transfer, in July 1984.