Affectionately nicknamed "Nobby" by fans, Steele quickly became a prolific goalscorer, scoring 220 goals for the Potters in total.  His quality also gained him six full caps for England during which time he found the back of the net in big wins over both Sweden and Finland.

Tragedy then struck Steele as he firstly injured his knee in a match against Charlton Athletic in 1937, which he struggled to come back from, and subsequently, in 1939 at the age of 23 retired from football because of depression.  Fortunately after treatment from psychiatrists he returned to the game where he scored 10 times in his first 5 matches.

Although Steele played little football during World War Two, he came back during the 1945/6 season with 49 goals in 43 League and FA Cup appearances.  However, returning knee problems led to his leaving City 3 years later.

Steele went on to become player-manager of both Mansfield Town and Port Vale.  He achieved some success with Port Vale in helping them to both the Third Division North Championship and the FA Cup Semi-Final in the 1953/4 season, but unfortunately never repeated this success.

Appearances for the Potters: 251. 159 goals.