Stefan Payne

Stefan Payne

Personal information
Full name	Stefan Steve Payne [1]
Date of birth	(1991-08-10) 10 August 1991 (age 32) [2]
Place of birth	Lambeth, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [3]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Faversham Town
Youth career
0000–2009	Croydon
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009	Croydon
2009	Sutton United	10	(6)
2009–2010	Fulham	0	(0)
2010–2012	Gillingham	28	(1)
2011	→ Braintree Town (loan)	5	(0)
2012	Aldershot Town	1	(0)
2012	Sutton United	18	(4)
2012–2013	Macclesfield Town	1	(0)
2013	Ebbsfleet United	13	(2)
2013–2014	AFC Hornchurch	46	(35)
2014–2016	Dover Athletic	84	(33)
2016–2017	Barnsley	9	(0)
2017	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	12	(2)
2017–2018	Shrewsbury Town	39	(11)
2018–2019	Bristol Rovers	20	(2)
2019	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	5	(0)
2019–2021	Tranmere Rovers	19	(4)
2021	Grimsby Town	13	(1)
2021–2022	Chesterfield	16	(0)
2022	→ Havant & Waterlooville (loan)	16	(5)
2022–2023	Welling United	33	(10)
2023	Tonbridge Angels	5	(1)
2023–	Faversham Town	0	(0)
International career
2015	England C	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:59, 3 September 2023 (UTC)

Stefan Steve Payne (born 10 August 1991) is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Faversham Town.

He began his career in non-League football with Croydon and Sutton United before joining Fulham, and made his professional debut for Gillingham in League Two in 2010. He did not maintain a first-team place at Gillingham and dropped back into non-league between 2012 and 2016, moving clubs frequently. After two prolific seasons in the Conference Premier for Dover Athletic he signed for Championship club Barnsley, where he did not feature frequently.

Payne then played for Shrewsbury Town in League One, initially on loan, and was their top scorer in the 2017–18 season as they reached the finals of the EFL Trophy and League One play-offs. He subsequently signed for Bristol Rovers, and after a brief loan back at Shrewsbury, Tranmere Rovers.

Career

Early career

Payne played for the Croydon youth team during the 2008–09 season and broke into the first team towards the tail end of the campaign and impressed Sutton United officials during a Southern Youth League cup final against them. ^[4] In the summer of 2009, Payne signed a contract with Sutton for the 2009–10 season. He made an immediate impact, scoring a hat-trick in the club's first league game of the season, a 4–0 win over Margate.

He quickly attracted attention from Football League scouts. In September 2009, Premier League club Fulham offered Payne and Sutton a contract. It was thought to be worth a six-figure-sum for Sutton. ^[5] Although Fulham could not officially sign a player outside the transfer window, Payne joined the reserve squad in October. He played many games for the reserve team but did not break into the first team.

Gillingham

During the 2010 close-season, Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler revealed his eagerness to sign Payne, ^[6] and the striker joined Gillingham on a free transfer in June 2010, signing a two-year contract. ^[7] He made his professional debut in the first league game of the League Two season on 7 August, starting in a 1–1 home draw with Cheltenham Town. ^[8] In February 2011, Payne went to Braintree Town of the Conference North on a one-month loan, ^[9] and scored a hat-trick in his second appearance to help beat Basingstoke Town 5–2. ^[10]

Payne scored his first goal for Gillingham to conclude the 6–1 away win over Hereford United on 17 September 2011, nine minutes after coming on as a substitute for Frank Nouble. ^[11] His only other goal for the Gills was on 22 November in an FA Cup first round replay at home to AFC Bournemouth, when he came on at half time for Chris Whelpdale and scored the 3–2 winner. ^[12] He totalled 37 appearances for the Kent-based club, but only three as a starter. ^[13]

Aldershot Town and return to non-league

On 27 January 2012, Payne signed for Aldershot Town of League Two for the rest of the season, having rescinded his Gillingham contract by mutual consent. ^[13] He made his only appearance the following day in a 2–1 win at AFC Wimbledon, replacing Adam Mekki for the final ten minutes. ^[14]

However, days later Aldershot stated on their website that Payne had been sent out on loan to Sutton United in the Conference South until the end of the season, as manager Dean Holdsworth said that he needed to play regular football. ^[15] The Sutton Guardian announced that Payne's contract at Aldershot had been cancelled and that Sutton had got the player for nothing. ^[16]

In January 2013, Payne stepped up to the Conference Premier by signing for Macclesfield Town. ^[17] Again, he was limited to one ten-minute appearance for the Silkmen, in a 2–1 loss at Dartford on 15 January replacing Amari Morgan-Smith. ^[18] Before the end of the month, he switched to struggling Ebbsfleet United of the same division for the rest of the campaign. ^[19] He scored twice in 13 matches for the eventually relegated Fleet, and received two straight-red cards including one in the first half of a 2–0 loss at Luton Town on 18 April. ^[20]

Payne signed in August 2013 for AFC Hornchurch in the Isthmian League, scoring twice on his debut away at Dulwich Hamlet. ^[21] He totalled 31 goals in 46 games for the Urchins. ^[22]

On 3 June 2014, Payne signed for newly promoted Dover Athletic of the Conference on a free transfer. ^{[23] [22]} He was the club's top scorer in both of his seasons with the Kent club, and was named Players' Player of the Year for the 2015–16 season.

Return to Football League

On 18 May 2016, Payne signed for Barnsley on a two-year contract with the option to extend for another year, on a free transfer. ^[24] He made his Championship debut on 6 August in a 4–2 opening day loss at Ipswich Town, playing the final 17 minutes in place of Tom Bradshaw. ^[25] He totalled 12 goalless appearances for Barnsley across all competitions, all as a substitute.

He signed on loan for Shrewsbury Town in League One for the remainder of the season on 30 January 2017 ^[26] and debuted five days later by starting in a 2–1 home win over Bury. On 8 April he scored his first goal, the only one against Rochdale at the New Meadow to pull the Shrews out of the relegation zone. ^[27] Six days later he struck again to ensure a 1–1 draw at local rivals Walsall. ^[28]

After Shrewsbury secured their place in the third tier, Payne signed a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee in August 2017. ^[29] He was the club's top scorer with 54 total games and 14 goals in a season in which they lost two finals at Wembley Stadium – the 2018 EFL Trophy Final to Lincoln City and the 2018 EFL League One play-off final to Rotherham United. ^[30]

On 9 August 2018, after starting in Shrewsbury's first match of the new season, Payne signed an undisclosed contract for Bristol Rovers of the same division. ^[31] He made his debut two days later, starting up front alongside fellow former Shrew Alex Rodman and scored a late equaliser in a 2–1 home loss to Accrington Stanley. ^[32] In October, he was fined for making offensive gestures towards the club's own fans after they lost at Barnsley. ^[33]

Payne returned to Shrewsbury on 31 January 2019, signing on loan for the remainder of the season. ^[34] He made five appearances, all but one as a substitute, and did not score. ^[35]

After cancelling his Bristol Rovers contract by mutual consent, Payne signed a two-year deal at Tranmere Rovers on 28 June 2019, who had just been promoted to League One. ^[36] Payne captained Tranmere in the EFL Trophy third round tie against Leicester City under-21, where he scored, but eventually lost the match 2–1. ^[37]

On 25 January 2021, Payne joined Grimsby Town on a deal until the end of the season, under former Shrewsbury manager Paul Hurst. ^[38] Five days later on his debut at home to Stevenage, he came on as a 64th-minute substitute for Ira Jackson Jr and scored an added-time equaliser, though the team still lost 2–1. ^[39] On 10 April, in a 1–0 loss at Bradford City, he was sent off for headbutting teammate Filipe Morais. ^[40] Grimsby then removed both players from the first team squad. ^[41] On 12 May 2021 it was announced that he would leave Grimsby at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract. ^[42]

Return to non-League football

On 2 July 2021, Payne agreed to return to the National League to sign for Chesterfield. ^[43] On 4 February 2022, Payne joined National League South side Havant & Waterlooville on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season. ^[44] Payne was released at the end of the 2021–22 season. ^[45]

On 4 July 2022, Payne signed for Welling United. ^[46]

On 6 July 2023, Payne joined fellow National League South club Tonbridge Angels. ^[47] He departed the club however after just five matches on 31 August, ^[48] joining Southern Counties East Premier Division club Faversham Town the following day. ^[49]

Career statistics

As of match played 28 August 2023

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Gillingham	2010–11 [50]	League Two	16	0	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	19	0
	2011–12 [51]	League Two	12	1	4	1	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	18	2
	Total		28	1	5	1	2	0	2	0	37	2
Braintree Town (loan)	2010–11 [50]	Conference North	5	0	0	0	~	~	0	0	5	0
Aldershot Town	2011–12	League Two	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Sutton United	2011–12 [52]	Conference South	7	2	0	0	~	~	0	0	7	2
	2012–13 [52]	Conference South	11	2	0	0	~	~	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	13	2
	Total		18	4	0	0	~	~	2	0	20	4
Macclesfield Town	2012–13 [52]	Conference Premier	1	0	0	0	~	~	0	0	1	0
Ebbsfleet United	2012–13 [52]	Conference Premier	13	2	0	0	~	~	0	0	13	2
AFC Hornchurch	2013–14	Isthmian Premier League	46	35	1	0	~	~	0	0	47	35
Dover Athletic	2014–15 [52]	Conference Premier	42	15	3	1	~	~	5 [lower-alpha 2]	2	45	18
	2015–16 [52]	National League	42	18	1	0	~	~	5 [lower-alpha 3]	4	48	22
	Total		84	33	4	1	~	~	10	6	98	40
Barnsley	2016–17 [53]	Championship	7	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	9	0
	2017–18 [30]	Championship	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
	Total		9	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	12	0
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2016–17 [53]	League One	12	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	2
Shrewsbury Town	2017–18 [30]	League One	38	11	4	1	0	0	9 [lower-alpha 4]	2	51	14
	2018–19 [35]	League One	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		39	11	4	1	0	0	9	2	52	14
Bristol Rovers	2018–19 [35]	League One	20	2	2	0	2	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	1	27	3
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2018–19 [35]	League One	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Tranmere Rovers	2019–20 [54]	League One	15	4	3	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	21	4
	2020–21 [55]	League Two	4	0	0	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	1	7	1
	Total		19	4	3	0	1	0	5	1	28	5
Grimsby Town	2020–21 [55]	League Two	13	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	1
Chesterfield	2021–22 [56]	National League	16	0	3	1	—		0	0	19	1
Havant & Waterlooville (loan)	2021–22	National League South	16	5	0	0	—		0	0	16	5
Welling United	2022–23	National League South	33	10	0	0	—		2 [lower-alpha 2]	1	35	11
Tonbridge Angels	2023–24	National League South	5	1	0	0	—		0	0	5	1
Career total			362	109	21	4	5	0	28	9	418	123

1. Appearances in Football League Trophy
2. Appearances in FA Trophy
3. Three appearances in FA Trophy and two in National League play-offs
4. Six appearances in EFL Trophy and three appearances in EFL League One play-offs

Honours

Shrewsbury Town

• EFL Trophy runner-up: 2017–18 ^[57]

References

1. "EFL club list of registered players as at 20 May 2017" (PDF). English Football League. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
2. "Stefan Payne profile". Gillingham F.C. site. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
3. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 473. ISBN   978-0-7553-6356-8.
4. "Sutton United 1–3 Croydon: Youth Report" . Retrieved 17 June 2010.
5. Stuart Amos (8 September 2009). "Payne's Fulham move hangs on scan". Sutton Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
6. "Gillingham set to sign Andy White and Stefan Payne". BBC News. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
7. "GILLS LAND YOUNG STRIKE PAIR". Gillingham F.C. official website. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
8. "Gillingham vs Cheltenham: Match Report". Gillingham F.C. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
9. "Iron Add Payne for a Month". Pitchero Non-League. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
10. "Gillingham striker Stefan Payne hits hat-trick for Braintree Town against Basingstoke Town". www.kentonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011.
11. "Hereford 1–6 Gillingham". BBC Sport. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
12. "Gillingham 3–2 Bournemouth". BBC Sport. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
13. "Aldershot sign striker Stefan Payne from Gillingham". BBC Sport. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
14. "Straker brace sinks Wimbledon". Sky Sports. 28 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
15. "Striker leaves on loan". Aldershot Town F.C. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
16. Amos, Stuart (22 February 2012). "Sutton snap up ex-Fulham Youngster". Sutton Guardian . Retrieved 22 February 2012.
17. "Ex-Fulham striker Stefan Payne joins Macclesfield Town". Macclesfield Live. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
18. "Dartford 2–1 Macclesfield Town". BBC Sport. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
19. "Josh Scott & Stefan Payne: Strikers join struggling Ebbsfleet". BBC Sport. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
20. Miller, Ed (18 April 2013). "Luton Town 2 Fleet 0". Ebbsfleet United F.C. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
21. "Hornchurch enjoy nice hamlet trip". Romford Recorder . 1 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
22. "Stefan Payne: Dover sign AFC Hornchurch forward". BBC Sport. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
23. "Whites sign Payne". Dover Athletic. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
24. "Former Gillingham forward Stefan Payne has left Dover Athletic to join League 1 Barnsley". Kent Online. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
25. "Ipswich Town 4-2 Barnsley: Match Report". Barnsley F.C. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
26. "Stefan Payne joins Town". Shrewsweb. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
27. "Shrewsbury Town 1–0 Rochdale". BBC Sport. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
28. "Shrewsbury Town 1–1 Walsall". BBC Sport. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
29. "Stefan Payne: Barnsley striker joins Shrewsbury Town for an undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
30. "Games played by Stefan Payne in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
31. "Stefan Payne: Bristol Rovers sign Shrewsbury striker and Watford's Alex Jakubiak on loan". BBC Sport. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
32. "Bristol Rovers 1–2 Accrington Stanley". BBC Sport. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
33. "Stefan Payne: Bristol Rovers fine striker over gesture towards fans". BBC Sport. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
34. "Shrewsbury: Stefan Payne re-signs from Bristol Rovers & Derby loan Jonathan Mitchell". BBC Sport. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
35. "Games played by Stefan Payne in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
36. "Stefan Payne and Darren Potter: Tranmere Rovers sign striker and midfielder". BBC Sport. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
37. "Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Leicester City U21s". Tranmere Rovers F.C. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
38. Green, Trevor (25 January 2021). "Grimsby Town sign striker Stefan Payne from Tranmere Rovers". Grimsby Telegraph. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
39. "Grimsby Town 1–2 Stevenage". BBC Sport. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
40. Findlater, James (10 April 2021). "Bradford City 1-0 Grimsby Town highlights and reaction as Stefan Payne sent off for headbutt on team-mate". Grimsby Telegraph. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
41. Findlater, James (16 April 2021). "Grimsby Town boss Paul Hurst confirms Stefan Payne and Filipe Morais decision after headbutt". Grimsby Telegraph. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
42. "Retained List Announced". www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk.
43. "Striker agrees to join Spreites". chesterfield-fc.co.uk. 2 July 2021.
44. "Striker moves on loan". chesterfield-fc.co.uk. 4 February 2022.
45. "Retained list released". chesterfield-fc.co.uk. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
46. "Former Chesterfield striker signs for National League South side after Spireites release".
47. "Stefan moves in to bolster strike force". www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
48. "Stefan Payne to depart". www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
49. "TOWN WELCOME STEFAN PAYNE TO THE AQUATHERM". www.favershamtownfc.co.uk. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
50. "Games played by Stefan Payne in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
51. "Games played by Stefan Payne in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
52. Stefan Payne at Soccerway. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
53. "Games played by Stefan Payne in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
54. "Games played by Stefan Payne in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
55. "Games played by Stefan Payne in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
56. "Games played by Stefan Payne in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
57. Scott, Ged (8 April 2018). "Lincoln City 1–0 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2018.

External links

• Stefan Payne at Soccerbase