Conor Stevens dreams of more FA Cup magic with Chesham – Irvine Times

Stevens helped non-league side Boreham Wood reach the fifth round of the 2022 FA Cup with a remarkable run that included a 1-0 win away to Bournemouth and ended with defeat by Everton.

It was a different story for the centre-back last year, however, after he was sent off on his Barnet debut away to Curzon Ashton for two bookings in 42 minutes.

The red card came after a long spell out with an Achilles injury, but Stevens has enjoyed life at sixth-tier Chesham since arriving in the summer and believes they can knock high-flying Lincoln out of Sky Bet League One.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Stevens told the PA news agency with a laugh.

“It was my (Barnett’s) debut after coming back from a torn Achilles. It wasn’t the best debut, but again, it’s something I can learn from.

“Hopefully on Monday it will be a better game and last more than 42 minutes!

“Touch wood this year the body felt good. With the FA Cup I had some good experiences, beating Bournemouth and going to Everton with Boreham Wood.

“Hopefully the experience I got there can help.”

Stevens was parachuted into Wood’s excellent FA Cup run after four years at National League rivals Wealdstone.

The 26-year-old signed just three days before Wood stunned Bournemouth in the fourth round of the 2022 tournament.

“I literally signed on Thursday, practiced on Friday and Saturday and started on Sunday, but it was good,” Stevens reflected.

“Also a different style of play because at Wealdstone we played a lot and coming into Boreham Wood we were a bit more direct.

“To be fair with Boreham Wood and Chesham, it’s quite a similar environment in terms of playing style.

“We haven’t kept many clean sheets this year, but that’s our bread and butter. We feel we are more of a defensive-oriented team than a passion-oriented one. It’s similar to my time at Boreham Wood and hopefully it will lead to another cup upset.”

After Stevens left the Hertfordshire club after an 18-month stint, he spent a season with Barnet before dropping down a division to sign for newly promoted Chesham in May.

Chesham, led by long-serving duo Michael Murray and James Duncan, have adapted well and won six of their 13 league games amid a dramatic cup run.

A replay was needed to overcome Bishop’s Cleeve after a banana peel draw at Cray Valley before Chesham knocked out National League promotion hopes Yeovil in the fourth qualifying round.

It gave the Generals belief that there could be more magic in the air at the Meadow on Monday in front of the ITV cameras and the game plan was drawn up by Murray and Duncan after two visits to watch Lincoln.

Stevens added: “We like to stay pretty low-key and level-headed as a band. We don’t have the biggest budget in the league and our points come with character.

“In the league we have come off three games in the last week and seven points, so the mood is positive.

“We tend to score late as well, so hopefully more drama on Monday.”