Norris, aged 61, has been diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia - and the fact he has clarity shines through as he speaks during an hour-long interview.

Dementia runs in the family, while year after year of heading a football has ultimately taken its toll.

But he remains haunted by the day he couldn't work out which way led him back to the home he shares with wife Kerry.

"We have always had dogs. I walk through Hilderstone Level and there's a care home. Behind that is a wood - or a copse really, it's not that big," recalls Norris.

"I do walks in there and the dog has a run around. In the first lockdown, before I had a proper diagnosis, I got lost in that little wood.

"I was thinking 'don't be stupid' but I didn't recognise the place or how to get out. I had been there at least once a week for ages.

"There's two paths in and out and I didn't know which way to go. That was a scary experience.

"That's the only time that dementia has frightened me. But I've been told to keep active and I walk the dog for two-and-a-half hours a day. It helps my mental health."

Norris is at the start of a new journey - but for a time he didn't know what was affecting him.
But he says persistence paid off for himself and wife Kerry when they finally were given firm news.

"You know in yourself something isn't right. Probably my wife spotted it more than me," said Norris, who has two children.

"People do lose their car keys, but after a while when it's happened more and more, it can't just be down to a bit of memory loss.

"I worked in the fire service for 30 years and at the same time played non-league football.

"I took retirement and then went in to working with housing charities, particularly people that were homeless.

"I did that for three or four years and then changed jobs - something in the same mould."
Norris was - and still is - a huge fans' favourite at Leek Town, making 393 appearances across two spells.

He initially joined Leek from Port Vale on loan in 1978 and after a stint away from the club returned to help them to the league title in 1990 as well as playing in their 3-0 FA Trophy defeat by Barrow at Wembley.

Norris managed the club in 1994/95 in the Southern League, finishing in seventh place, before departing.

"When I was in the fire service I played football for them and the England fire service, GB fire service and travelled to Europe to play football for them," he added.

"I played at school and sixth form and had the idea of being a PE teacher. I got a trial for England Under-19 Schools and made the side and played three times for them.

"I then had a cracking game in a Sentinel Shield final and Port Vale came knocking.

"I gave up my place at teacher training college and got an 18-month contract at Vale. In the last six months I wasn't getting any football, so went to Leek on loan.

"It was a shock at the Vale. I had been used to playing football with my mates, but here I was as a pro doing it for a living.

"It was too big a gap at the time. If I had gone to non-league first and then to pro, it might have been different."

Leek Town fans, though, will be pleased that Norris spent his best years plying his trade at Harrison Park.

He also had spells at Kidsgrove, Winsford and Eastwood Hanley.

"Football was all I ever wanted to do. The fire service were good to me. There were plenty of time I wriggled out of a shift to play football," he laughed.

"When I was at Hanley fire station we had plenty of Sunday morning footballers. So they'd do my Saturday shift so I could play and then I'd do their Sunday morning so they could.

"I went to Leek to play under Paul Ogden, he was the first proper football manager I had seen. Oggie was one of those who if you had two bad games you were out.

"He's a great character and was massive for Leek. He took them out of the Staffs County League."
Norris was a central figure at Leek, but his performances caught the eye from rival clubs.
And he eventually left the club to take on a new challenge - in strange circumstances.

"It was typical non-league, Leek were not in the best state, money was tight and I got a better offer and went to Winsford," he said.

"It was bizarre how it came about. We were playing Winsford towards the end of the season and they had a no-nonsense midfielder called Paul Mason who was stepping up to be manager the following year.

"He jogged past me near the end of the game and says 'what are you doing next year?'. I got tapped up on the halfway line!

"We had a chat in the bar afterwards and that was it, I ended up going to Winsford."

Norris was back, though, to play a part in one of Leek's most successful campaigns.
In 1990 they won the title and also reached Wembley in the FA Trophy under boss Neil Baker.

"At Winsford I had the chance to go and play Conference with Northwich Vics, but with the travelling I didn't go," he explained.

"I played for Eastwood Hanley for a couple of seasons and then Bakes came to Leek and asked if I wanted to go back.

"We had a great time, especially Wembley. We walked around the stadium the day before and the FA Cup replay between Manchester United and Crystal Palace had just been played.

"One of the players had struck the crossbar in the game and as we walked past, a bloke was on a stepladder cleaning the mark off the crossbar. It would have been left to crust off at Leek!

"Barrow were just too good for us on the day. But it was a good season because we won the title.

"We were miserly at the back. We played five at the back with me as a sweeper.

"We just didn't concede goals. We would score and it didn't matter what time it was, it would be game over.

"We won the title at Workington. We battled away in the first half and then scored 10 minutes in to the second.

"At that point people started getting the Champagne ready because they knew we weren't going to let one in.

"They were great, great times at Leek."

Norris' memories of life at Leek Town as player, manager and captain remain vivid.
But day-to-day tasks can now be a problem for the Blues legend with his early-stage dementia.

"People can cope for a while and then it becomes inhibiting. There's things you would have done naturally that you now have to get someone else to do," he explained.

"I have lost a lot of confidence over it. At first it was cognitive, not remembering stuff which really wasn't that important. I've stopped driving, I'm too unpredictable to be responsible, so again this affects your lifestyle.

"I now try to limit myself to what I can and can't do. Me and Kerry have an agreement - if you can do it, do it; if you can't, don't.

"It could be something you could do yesterday, can't today, but might be able to do tomorrow.

"Every day is different. If I have a good morning it's going to be a good day. If I get up and it's crap, I can't drag it back then and it's going to be a bad day."

Leek Town has proved to be a sanctuary for Norris, although he visits have been on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Non-league football has been decimated in recent times - and Norris freely admits he misses his trips to watch his beloved Blues.

"The time I spend at Leek Town is precious. It has been devastating for the last year or so because apart from trips with the wife, going to Leek was my day out for the week.

"I'm still a board member at Leek and I've met so many people on the non-league scene.

"Leek Town have been really good to me and I would like to think I've been good to them.

"But I've got good family and a good group of friends around me. They've been a huge help."

Norris says persistence has been key to getting to the stage he is at now.

And he is urging any former players to get tested if they believe they may be suffering.

"I'm talking from a non-league perspective where players play for £100 a week, not £10,000 a week," said Norris.

"At the minute there are ex-pros coming forward with their stories, but not many in non-league.

"I am in the system now. It took a while, but we pushed and pushed the NHS.

"I was more comfortable when I had the diagnosis. I can now look on the internet or read leaflets and find out what is coming up for me.

"I would urge anyone to keep knocking on that door to get a diagnosis. Then you can make your life path.

"You are not fighting in the dark, you know what you are fighting against."
Norris loved a challenge on the football pitch, but now he's facing a different one off it.
But he says there are no regrets.

"Saturdays and Tuesdays were what I lived for," he added. "I was pretty lucky with injuries in my career, the worst one I had was a broken wrist in about 800 or 900 games.

"Just having a broken wrist isn't too bad, but now I have dementia.

"I never considered that playing football would hurt me in the long term. I never dreamed it would happen to me.

"I loved my non-league career and I'm a big believer that you get out what you put in.

"Would I change it? Not at all. I loved every second."

Steve Norris was interview by Chris Travers for the Leek Post & Times & The Sentinel.

The full interview can be accessed here

Many thanks to Chris and The Sentinel for allowing the Club to publicise the interview.