Steve Tupling, who had started at Middlesbrough and played over a hundred league games for Darlington, was a Cardiff City player when he played nine games on loan with Exeter City in the late 1980s. Also on loan with Torquay United during the same season, he went on to play for Hartlepool before a brief return to Darlington. 

Steve was an apprentice at Middlesbrough and, from July 1982, a full professional although he never made a first-team league appearance for the club. Joining Carlisle United in July 1984, he had a solitary league outing before heading to Darlington where he became an established member of the first-team on his way to making 111 league appearances (8 goals). Leaving for Newport County in August 1987, he played 33 league games before switching to Cardiff City in August 1988 where he only made a handful of appearances whilst also going on loan to Torquay United.

Loaned again to Exeter City in January 1989, Steve made his Grecians’ debut in the 3-0 home win over Doncaster Rovers and, staying for nine games, scored his only goal for the club in the 5-1 win against Rochdale on 28 January 1989. 

Returning to Cardiff, he left Ninian Park later that year and signed for Hartlepool United in December 1989 where he was part of the team that won promotion to the Third Division the following season as he went on to make a total of 89 league appearances. 

Having a brief second spell with Darlington, Steve turned out for Gateshead ahead of becoming a  teacher in Whitley Bay.