Stephen "Steve" Fulton (born 10 August 1970 in Greenock) is a retired Scottish footballer who played as a left winger.
Fulton joined Celtic from their Boys Club in 1987 and made his league debut during the 1988–89 season. After his impressive display in a Scottish Cup semi-final defeat of Hibernian that year he was likened by his manager Billy McNeill to Italian forward Roberto Baggio, and the Baggio moniker stuck with him throughout his career. He had become a first-team regular by 1990 and helped the side to the 1990–91 League Cup final, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Old Firm rivals Rangers.
Fulton left Celtic Park in August 1993, Bolton Wanderers paying £225,000 for his signature. However, he fell from favour within months of his move to Burnden Park and spent part of the 1993–94 season on loan to Peterborough United before returning to Scotland at its conclusion, in a £100,000 move to Falkirk. The Bairns enjoyed a profitable first season back in the Premier Division, challenging for European qualification and eventually finishing fifth, only six points behind 2nd place Motherwell. Fulton re-established himself as a first-team player, playing 33 times during the campaign.
In July 1995, Jim Jefferies resigned as Falkirk manager to take-over at Heart of Midlothian and Fulton was one of the first players he signed for the Edinburgh club. The side had been near the bottom of the table at the time Fulton signed but recovered to finish 4th and reach the Scottish Cup Final, where Rangers proved too strong for them. He helped Hearts to the League Cup Final the following season and scored their first goal in the Celtic Park showpiece. Rangers were again the opposition and once again they had the measure of Hearts, two individual goals from Paul Gascoigne turning the match in the Glasgow side's favour.
In 1997–98, Hearts mounted an unexpected challenge for the league title, with Fulton in the vanguard. He was the only Hearts player to start every league game and his six goals from midfield led the side to an eventual third place finish. They also reached the Scottish Cup Final for the second time in three years and ended a 36-year wait for silverware by defeating Rangers 2-1. Due to an injury to regular skipper Gary Locke, Fulton was appointed captain for the occasion and he set his side on the way to victory after he was brought down in the box to win a first minute penalty kick from which they took the lead.
Fulton earned selection to the Scotland national team squad for the first time in September 1998, for a World Cup qualifying game against Lithuania. His Hearts team-mate Neil McCann made his debut in that game but Fulton remained on the bench.
Jim Jeffries was by this stage Kilmarnock manager and he again moved to sign Fulton, offering him a two-year contract with the Ayrshire club.
Fulton is currently a coach at Falkirk FC, in charge of the club's Under-17 side.
His sons Dale, Jay and Tyler are also professional footballers with Fulton's former club Falkirk. Jay was born in Bolton during his father's short spell in England with Bolton Wanderers during the 1993-94 season.
Famous quotes containing the words steve and/or fulton:
“Y’know plenty of people, in their right mind, thought they saw things that didn’t exist, y’know, like flying saucers. The light was just right, and the angle and the imagination. Oh boy, if that’s what it is, then this is just an ordinary night. You and I are going to go home and go to sleep and tomorrow when we get up that sun’s gonna shine. Just like yesterday. Good ol’ yesterday.”
—Theodore Simonson. Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr.. Steve Andrews (Steven McQueen)
“New York has her wilderness within her own borders; and though the sailors of Europe are familiar with the soundings of her Hudson, and Fulton long since invented the steamboat on its waters, an Indian is still necessary to guide her scientific men to its headwaters in the Adirondack country.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)