A profile of Deres' four-goal FA Vase hero Steve White (From News Shopper)

A profile of Deres' four-goal FA Vase hero Steve White

12:33pm Wednesday 11th October 2006 in

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by Brian Spurrell

TWO years ago Steve White had virtually retired from football.

Now he's in possibly the form of his life for Erith and Belvedere and on Saturday scored all four goals in the Deres' 4-1 FA Carlsberg Vase first round victory over Cobham.

His performances have been the shining light in a difficult season and have rewritten the club record books.

Saturday's performance was White's finest hour in a Deres shirt.

Having fallen behind at home to Cobham in the first minute, Erith roared back with four goals, all from the 35-year-old striker, the last from the penalty spot.

In doing this White became the first Deres player to score four in a game since Brian Morrison in the club record 10-0 away victory at Ramsgate in 1981.

It's not the first landmark White has reached this season as a few weeks ago he reached 200 appearances and his seven goals this season have taken him to a career total of 64, thus breaking into the Deres' all-time top 20 scorers' list.

White's impact on the club cannot be measured in statistics alone as the above figures show, he might not have the most prolific scoring rate, but the influence of his experience and intelligent creative play is such last season, while bagging just six goals, he achieved the unprecedented hat-trick of players' and supporters' Player of the Year plus the Chairman's Trophy.

And all this after spending two years in semi-retirement.

He fractured a kneecap in spring 2003 and this combined with his baby son's illness persuaded him to step back from the game - he missed two entire seasons before his inspiring return last year following his son's recovery.

White joined the Deres from Bromley in the summer of 1999 and the club history will forever link him with the club's move from Belvedere to their present groundshare arrangement with Welling.

He made his home debut on the night Erith played their first home game at Park View Road and christened the new venue with the opening goal after just 27 seconds.

Seven years on, he's become the first player to make 200 Deres appearances entirely within the Park View Road era and in a season which sees the club struggling, with a nine-game winless run ending on Saturday, Steve White has been the main highlight.