It’s been a summer of change for Wales U21 captain Fin Stevens, as he swapped the bright lights of London for the vibrancy of Hamburg.
After a successful loan spell at Oxford United, where he got promoted to the Championships, Stevens spent his summer back at his parent club, Brentford, assessing his options, but when German side St. Pauli came knocking, it was something he couldn’t refuse.
“I managed to get gametime at Oxford and I game with a feel for first team football, so I wanted to go somewhere where I could play a bit more and challenge myself. I was looking at loans and permanent moves, but when St. Pauli came in, it was an offer I couldn’t really turn down.
“I was never against playing abroad, and I thought the opportunity I had was massive. The Bundesliga is a huge league, and I thought I might as well go and give it a try and do what I can to see if I can get some game time out there.”
For those footballing hipsters, St. Pauli is a club that’s been on their radar for many a season.
Nicknamed the Neighbourhood Kickers, St. Pauli are known for their openness and welcoming attitude, and as soon as Stevens walked into the Millerntor-Stadion, he knew that this was a special club.
“You definitely get the feeling that St. Pauli is a unique club. The fans have so may flags out for games, and everyone can go and watch the game, they’re accepting of everyone. They’re a great set of fans who follow us everywhere. They’re mad, they’re loud, but they back us all the way and it’s brilliant.”
Stevens’ only appearance so far came in a DFB Pokal first round win over Hallescher, but training has been incredibly intense.
The squad boasts plenty of international stars, and Stevens believes the team, who were promoted to the Bundesliga last season, can surprise many.
“The level in training is incredibly high. We’ve got a lot of good players in our squad, and because we’ve only just been promoted, a lot of people might be underestimating us a little bit, but we’re a good side who, on our day, can beat anyone.”
On the brink of history
For now, St. Pauli is at the back of Stevens’ mind, as he and the rest of the U21 squad prepare for a crucial qualifier on Friday night at home to Czechia.
Wales came into this qualifying campaign as the fourth seeds behind Denmark, Czechia, and Iceland, but are only one win from potentially sealing automatic qualification for next summer’s European Championships.
Confidence has grown throughout this campaign, but Stevens realised what the squad could do well before the start of qualifying.
“The belief started when we went out to Pinatar where we played a couple of friendlies against Colombia and Scotland, and we blew them out the water and I thought, we’ve got some team here. From there, we knew what we had, and being together every camp has made us stronger, and now we’re in a really good place.”
The man behind this resurgent U21 side has been Matty Jones.
Jones revealed last week on the BBC’s Feast of Football podcast that he had been interviewed for the senior team role but was ultimately unsuccessful.
However, the U21s are certainly delighted to still have Jones around, and Stevens was full of praise for the manager.
“Matty is brilliant. I don’t think you could ask for a better manager. He’s Wales through and through, and he treats the boys like his own. The way he wants us to play and the standards he wants us to keep setting, everything he does is brilliant, and I can’t speak highly enough of him.”
Friday could be the night where the U21s become the first team in their age group to reach a major tournament.
The drive and ambition is certainly there, and Stevens is hoping the squad can get the job done.
“To make history with this group of lads and staff would be incredible. It’s our main goal, and we just need to go and win on Friday and put ourselves in the best position possible.”
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