| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven James Evans[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-02-26)26 February 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Wrexham, Wales | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Flint Town United (assistant manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2006 | The New Saints | 152 | (24) |
| 2001–2002 | →Oswestry Town (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2006–2009 | Wrexham | 80 | (7) |
| 2009–2017 | The New Saints | 109 | (13) |
| 2014–2015 | →Connah's Quay Nomads (loan) | 23 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | Caernarfon Town | 14 | (1) |
| 2022 | Colwyn Bay | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 385 | (49) | |
| International career | |||
| 2002–2005 | Wales semi-pro | 9 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Wales | 7 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2017–2021 | The New Saints (assistant) | ||
| 2022–2024 | Colwyn Bay | ||
| 2024– | Flint Town United (assistant) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Steven James Evans (born 26 February 1979) is a Welsh football coach and former professional footballer who is assistant manager ofFlint Town United.
He is a Welsh former international footballer, having played for his country atsemi-pro andfull levels. In 2008, he became the firstNon-League footballer to becapped by Wales since 1930 – a 76-year gap.
Much of Evans' playing career saw him playing forThe New Saints, over two spells either side of a three-year tenure at hometown clubWrexham. Evans also representedOswestry Town andConnah's Quay Nomads onloan, in 2001–02 and 2014–15 respectively.
He began his career with as a trainee atCrewe Alexandra andWest Bromwich Albion but was not offered a professional contract by either club.[2]
He joinedLeague of Wales sideTotal Network Solutions (TNS) in the summer of 1999, playing in the title-winning side of2000.[2] He struggled to keep a first team place in the2001–02 season due to injury and joinedOswestry Town onloan.[3] After six appearances for Oswestry Town, he returned to TNS and played in the title winning sides of2005 and2006[4] and the 2005Welsh Cup with victory overCarmarthen Town.[5]
He won the Welsh Premier player of the season award for 2004–05.[2] Evans played two games against the then-European championsLiverpool in the summer of 2005; TNS lost both legs 3–0 but he and the rest of the side were praised for their performances against a side containing the likes ofEngland midfielderSteven Gerrard with Liverpool managerRafael Benítez saying,"TNS were well organised and they did well. We saw them on videos before the tie and we knew that they would be prepared.".[6] Evans was inducted as a Saints legend in May 2008.[7]
In February 2006, Evans impressed for the Saints in anFAW Premier Cup semi-final againstLeague Two sideWrexham, scoring an equaliser inextra-time to force the game intopenalties,[8]
He joined Wrexham on a two-year deal in June 2006.[9] He had made over 150 league and cup appearances for TNS.[2] Wrexham manager,Denis Smith, said of him,"He can be as good as he wants to be – maybe he could even do a good job forWales. Steve's good in the air, can pass well and reads the game. He's older and wiser and benefits from experience."[10]
After joining theRacecourse club, he scored on his home debut againstGrimsby Town in a 3–0 win.[11] He wassent-off for two bookings in thecross-border derby against rivalsChester City at theDeva Stadium in August 2006; Denis Smith, however, said that he had"...been outstanding for me since coming intothe League. He was looking a bit 'leggy', he's finding full-time football a bit different, but he'll learn from this."[12] In spite of that setback, Evans made a seamless transition from the largelysemi-professional Welsh Premier League to the fully professional League Two, making 40 league and cup appearances for Wrexham in the2006–07 season,[13] which was interrupted by a five-match ban during March 2007 for having been sent off three times in the season,[14] and 32 league and cup appearances in the 2007–08 season.[15] Following Wrexham'srelegation to theFootball Conference at the end of the2007–08 season, he was out of contract and was considering his options.[16] He signed a new one-year deal with Wrexham in June 2008, with an option for a further twelve months.[17] However Evans fell out of favour duringthe season and was released by the club, along withShaun Pejic, on 2 February.[18]
Evans then rejoined his former club TNS, by now named The New Saints, the next day.[19] In October 2010 he was fined and stripped of thecaptaincy of the team as part of The New Saints' actions following his arrest in September 2010 on apublic order offence. He was also given extensive additional community work for the club, to play an active role in the coaching and development of young players at the club, assisting the academy and scholarship coaching programmes as well as becoming a player ambassador for the club's Football in the Community programme, working with local schools and junior clubs.[20] In November it was announced that after failing to comply with some of the additional responsibilities set out by the club, that his contract had been terminated.[21] After a long running contractual dispute with his former club, in May 2011 an independentFootball Association of Wales tribunal in favour of Evans and decided that the player had beenunfairly dismissed. The club announced that he had therefore returned to training with the club and was still contracted to the team.[22]
Whilst as the New Saints he completed hisUEFA B Licence coaching qualification. In May 2012 he signed a new contract with the club.[23]
In September 2014, after two serious injuries he joinedConnah's Quay Nomads on loan to get playing time.[24]
In August 2021 he returned to his playing career, when he signed forCaernarfon Town, at the age of 42.[25][26]
According toIFFHS, Evans was the third-oldest player (and oldest outfield player) in the world to play a match in the top tier of a national championship in 2021, aged 42 years and 298 days in his lastWelsh Premier League game in 2021 against Flint Town United on 21 December, only behind goalkeepersCristian Lucchetti (43) andMohamed Abdel Monsef (44).[27]
Evans made nine appearances for theWelsh semi-professional side during his first spell at TNS, between the 2002–03 and 2004–05 seasons.[28]
Whilst at Wrexham, he also impressedWales managerJohn Toshack and made his international debut for Wales in afriendly againstLiechtenstein in November 2006.[29] He was called up again for Wales' 0–0 draw againstNorthern Ireland in February 2007 when he was praised by John Toshack who said,"Steve's in a difficult situation at the bottom of the league with Wrexham, but he's come into our last two games and not put a foot wrong. He handled all the aerial stuff and has shown he can step up a level."[30] Evans would make four more appearances in Welsh colours in 2007: againstRepublic of Ireland andSan Marino inUEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, and friendlies againstNew Zealand andBulgaria.[31]
In September 2008, with Wrexham relegated to theFootball Conference, Evans became the firstnon-league player to represent Wales for 76 years as a second-half substitute in Wales' 2–1 defeat away toRussia in2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.[32] As of 7 September 2018[update], he is also the most recent to do so.[33] The Russia match was Evans' most recent international appearance; he has made a total of seven appearances for his country.[28]
Evans joined The New Saints' first team coaching team in 2017 and was assistant manager at the club until April 2020 when Scott Roscoe, the then manager departed.[34]
In January 2022 he was appointed as manager ofColwyn Bay.[35] He guided the club to theCymru North title in 2023 and promotion to theCymru Premier for the first time in the club's history.
On 21 April 2024, Evans was sacked by Colwyn Bay following their relegation from theCymru Premier.[36]
The following month he joined Flint Town United as their assistant manager.[37]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | |
Individual
