JAMES STEPHENS LIVERPOOL FC ACADEMY PLAYER

James Edward Stephens (born 24 August 1993) is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Liverpool Academy and Reserves.

Stephens signed for Liverpool in April 2010, having built up a reputation as one of the country's most promising young goalkeepers at Swindon Town. He had to wait until the 2010-11 season to make his mark on the under-18s, during which season he was the joint first-choice 'keeper for the side, along with Tyrell Belford, as both stoppers played 14 league games each. Stephens also made an appearance for the Reserves that season.

Stephens was awarded the Barclays Premier Academy League Save of the Season award for the 2010-11 season for a stop in an away win at Manchester United. Stephens overtook Belford as the under-18s number 1 stopper in the early part of the 2011-12 season, who began to feature more frequently for the Reserves. However when Belford dropped back down to the under-18s, Stephens saw out the season mostly as Belford's back up.