Mathew Stevens

Mathew Stevens

Personal information
Full name	Mathew Antony Stevens
Date of birth	12 February 1998
Place of birth	Surrey, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current team	Barnet
Number	22
Youth career
0000–2013	Farnborough
2013–2014	Reading
2014–	Barnet
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2014–	Barnet	3	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:10, 20 February 2016 (UTC). † Appearances (goals)

Mathew Antony "Matt" Stevens (born 12 February 1998) is an English footballer and former amateur boxer. He plays as a forward for Barnet.

Boxing career

Stevens was born into a boxing family – grandfather Les Stevens was a professional boxer^[1] who fought John Conteh in 1974.^[2] Stevens, who fought out of Pinewood Starr ABC in Crowthorne and once sparred with Tim Witherspoon,^[3] won four national titles during his brief career at youth level. In 2011 he won the ABAE Schools national title^[4] and the GB Schoolboy 3 Nations title,^[5] repeating the feat again in 2012.^[6][7] Stevens was undefeated during his boxing career.

Football career

Stevens quit boxing aged 15 and joined the youth team at Farnborough.^[8] He then joined Reading where he scored 32 goals in the 2013–14 season at U-16 level.^[9] Stevens joined Barnet in the summer of 2014 on a two-year scholarship. Impressive goal scoring form for the youth team early in the season saw him make his senior debut against Alfreton Town on 6 September 2014,^[10] coming on as a substitute for Sam Togwell after 82 minutes,^[11] becoming Barnet's youngest ever player aged 16 years and 204 days, a record previously held by Mauro Vilhete.^[10] His first senior goal for the Bees came in the FA Trophy against Concord Rangers on 16 December 2014 – scoring a Panenka penalty – and also becoming Barnet's youngest ever goalscorer.^[12] Stevens scored 57 goals in all competitions in the 2014–15 season – attracting interest from larger clubs, including Swansea City, who had a £250k offer for Stevens rejected in May 2015.^[13] A bid was also received from Crystal Palace with both Manchester United and Manchester City sending scouts to watch him play.^[14]

Stevens scored six times for the Bees in 2015–16 pre-season, and made his Football League debut when he came on as an 87th-minute substitute for Michael Gash against Leyton Orient on 8 August 2015.^[15] Barnet transfer listed Stevens in January 2016 after he turned down two contract offers from the club.^[16] Stevens scored his first league goal for the Bees against AFC Wimbledon on 20 January 2016.^[17]

References

1. getreading Administrator (3 July 2012). "Stevens and Frankham set for tri-nations glory". getreading.
2. "BoxRec – Les Stevens". boxrec.com.
3. "Mathew Stevens". Twitter.
4. "Royal Navy Schools ABA Championships – Sunday 6 March – England Boxing". abae.co.uk.
5. "2011 GB Schoolboy 3 Nation Championships – England Boxing". abae.co.uk.
6. "2012 ABAE Schools Championship Finals – England Boxing". abae.co.uk.
7. "England bring home 20 Gold Medals from the GB School Boys Championship – Kids Boxing". kidsboxing.co.uk.
8. "Mathew Stevens". Twitter.
9. "Barnet FC Youth Team Profiles". barnetfc.com.
10. "Martin: "They keep going until the end"". barnetfc.com.
11. "BBC Sport – Barnet 2–1 Alfreton Town". BBC Sport.
12. "Young Bees knocked out of FA Trophy". Times Series.
13. "UPDATED: Barnet reject offer from Swansea City for Stevens". Times Series.
14. "Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in Barnet youngster Matt Stevens but neither club has made a bid". Times Series.
15. "BBC Sport – Leyton Orient 2–0 Barnet". BBC Sport.
16. "Allen suggests an agent could have turned Stevens' head". Times Series.
17. Barnet 1 – 2 AFC Wimbledon

External links

• Mathew Stevens profile at Soccerway