The tense hours before the final qualifying match against Saudi Arabia were difficult ones for the All-Whites squad.

The equation was simple. The Kiwis faced the improbable task of beating Saudi Arabia by six goals to climb above China on goal difference to qualify for Spain 1982, and their first World Cup finals.

Yet deep down, and against all the odds, New Zealand's talisman still possessed an unquenchable optimism.

"I remember turning to the rest of the team and saying, why shouldn't it happen to us," said Sumner. "Why can't we go and score six times?
"The manager, said, 'Just go out and play with pride, passion and dignity'.

"99 times out of a 100 it wasn't going to happen, was it?
"The heat was searing. Like a blow-torch touching your face. We played on a rock-hard, artificial pitch and the crowd were baying for our blood.

"We came in at half-time 5-0 up.

"The coach was hyperventilating. I suppose we were all in shock really.
"We had 45 minutes to score the goal that would take New Zealand to the World Cup finals for the first time.

"We just couldn't get that elusive goal.

"We hit a post and had a shot hacked off the line. I had three chances. I should have scored, really."
With New Zealand and China equal on points and goal difference, the two sides had to settle the issue in a winner-takes-all play-off final in
Singapore.

The prize was the 24th, and last, spot in Spain.

Even in the unremitting soap that is modern-day professional football, this was a rip-roaring, never-to-be-forgotten adventure.

"We got to Singapore 24 hours before the match and we couldn't train on the pitch because there was a religous ceremony going on," said Steve.

"The humidity levels were overwhelming, but we knew it was all or nothing after two years of qualifying games.

"We lined up in the tunnel and we had this incredible determination coursing through us.

"The Chinese team were looking at us, thinking, 'Who are this lot?'

"The atmosphere was incredible. It was a 60,000 crowd, all pro-Chinese, apart from a tiny pocket of 500 Kiwis.

"We scored twice, but with 10 minutes left China were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty box.

"I recall the ball fizzing over my head. It was the hardest, most ferocious shot I've ever seen, and it flew straight into the top corner of the net.

"By then, we all had desperate cramp.

"There were bodies collapsed all over the pitch. It was like a war zone.

"Somehow, we held on, and when the final whistle sounded the guys went crazy.

"It was almost delirium after that. We threw our shirts to the New Zealand supporters.

"I had lost six pounds in the heat. I got back in the dressing room and drank six tumblers of orange.

"I don't think any country will go through that qualifying
adventure again.

"We had travelled 55,000 miles, played 15 games, and scored 44 goals."
Back home in New Zealand it was the early hours of the morning.
Steve's wife Jude recalled: "It was 3am, but you could hear people on the street shouting and screaming when the final whistle sounded.

"The whole country came alive to this incredible event.

"When Steve returned home his life had changed.

"We couldn't walk down the street or go out for a meal anywhere in New Zealand without people asking for his autograph or just wanting to talk.

"He was on television every week and the whole team became household names."

Their qualification ranks as one of New Zealand's greatest sporting moments and they faced Scotland, Brazil and Russia in the finals.

Sumner scored New Zealand's first goal in World Cup finals in the All Whites' 5-2 defeat to Scotland.

"We had knocked out Australia, China, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait along the way, and to even think of playing Brazil in the World Cup finals was considered the impossible dream," he said.

"Such was the impression back then that those who really had no interest in football until 1981 wondered if we could
actually win the World Cup.

"Even today, people in New Zealand talk about 1982 like England hark back to 1966.

"The story was straight from a Hollywood cutting room, and I've even had a guy from London wanting to make a film.

"It was a magnificent journey and an incredible achivement for a country whose number one sport is rugby."

Sumner was born 52 years ago in Preston. He had arrived in New Zealand as a raw 17-year-old after the idea was suggested to him by North End's assistant manager Peter Docherty.

Sumner grew up on Callon Street, Preston, and went to St Matthew's Primary School on New Hall Lane and the former Brockholes Secondary Modern.

Steve's parents Harold and Norma live in the city, as do his brothers Dean and Mark, while sister Diane has settled in Longridge.

He says those formative years in Preston remain fond memories.

"As a kid we'd play 22-a-side on Waverley Park in Ribbleton, with a tree and a coat for goalposts. I'd stand on the pavilion paddock with my dad and watch North End," Steve recalled.

"I was six when I saw my first Preston game. I think it was against Watford.

"It was always football, football, football. I had a raging passion for football and I pushed myself to the limit.

"But how can you not be interested in football in Preston with all the tradition that surrounds you because North End are such a massive part of the community?

"It is a true football town, and the people live and breathe it.

"That love of the game and tradition prepared me for what was to come later, but never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what would happen later in my life.

"When I was captain of New Zealand, I'd often think back to my time as a schoolboy in Preston.

"As a kid I relished the responsibility of organising players, and the decision-making process.

"Those big games on Waverley Park, or playing for Preston Schoolboys, I'd always be organising and cajoling. It was just in me from an early age.

"When you are that age you are full of fire and passion, aren't you?

"I was hot-headed and fiery when I was a kid.

"I always stood up for myself because football is a rough and tumble business.

"But as captain of New Zealand I had to be cold and clinical, and eventually I found I could take charge of a game physically and mentally.

"I've lived in New Zealand for over 30 years now, but Preston is still my home and that's where I learned about the football life.

"You come out of Preston with a tough edge, don't you?"

Capped 105 times by New Zealand, Steve made his debut against Burma in 1976. In the World Cup qualifying section, he scored a national record six goals in a 13-0 defeat of Fiji.

"That was an amazing game. Fiji had lost to Australia 10-0 and they were in complete disarray.

"We set out to score more than 10 and it was crazy.

"Everything I hit finished up in the back of the net."

I asked Sumner about his most vivid recollection of that incredible World Cup qualifying campaign.

"The game that stands out was against Indonesia, in front of 110,000 supporters in Jakarta.

"The stadium, I remember, was like a run-down version of the old Wembley.

"The noise was so intense you couldn't hear the sound of your own voice.
"The crowd were throwing stones, and then the concrete slabs started raining down. They were ripping the terracing up and a big block of concrete landed at my feet.

"They were chucking anything they could get their hands on, and giant water melons were hitting our dug-out.

"When we scored our second goal the supporters lit giant
bonfires at the top of the terraces.

"There was choking smoke all around the stadium. It was an unbelievable sight."

These days Sumner runs a seafood export company in Christchurch, but those World Cup memories still colour his life.

He recalled: "The most hostile crowd was in Kuwait.
"Their fans were lined up on the side of the road throwing rocks at the bus – before the game!

"We walked out on the pitch and they had strung a giant banner up behind the goal which read, 'Go back to your Kangaroos'.

"They'd got the right part of the world but the wrong country.
"There was a bad-tempered herd of snarling camels behind one goal, and it was a mad atmosphere.

"When the game kicked off all hell broke loose, and the supporters were firing rockets across the pitch.

"I scored to make it 1-1. I don't think I ever hit a sweeter shot. The ball just zipped into the top corner.

"Wynton Rufer put us 2-1 ahead, but Kuwait levelled it with the last touch of the game.

"When we played Taiwan in Taipei the crowd rushed on to the pitch, trying to attack us.

"It was absolute bedlam and the game ended in a free-for-all, fighting with their players.

"Our centre-half was hit by a tyre. We had to be locked in the dressing room for two hours afterwards.
"We were lucky to get away unscathed.

"It was an incredible era to be involved in and to be captain of New Zealand was a total privilege.
"I've always said that New Zealand players underestimated themselves because they are good enough.

"We are incredibly proud of what Ryan Nelsen has achieved at Blackburn Rovers and it gave Kiwi football a great lift."

Sumner was honoured by FIFA for his services to New Zealand football in 2004, awarded the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit.

Steve added: "My dad's hero all these years has never changed.
"It has always been Sir Tom Finney but not even the great man got one of these awards and neither has David Beckham or Sir Bobby Charlton.

"I feel so honoured and privileged.

"I was just so grateful because it could have gone to many people in New Zealand."