Steven Schumacher has joined Stevenage, the club have confirmed.

Schumacher joins the club having seen out the remainder of his contract with Fleetwood Town this summer and been released by the club following two years at Highbury.

The 31-year-old midfielder has a vast amount of experience in the Football League, having played up and down it for the majority of his career following his release from Everton, whose academy he progressed through before leaving in 2004, having failed to appear for the first team.

He joined Bradford City upon his departure, and went on to play 117 league games for the Bantams, scoring 13 goals. A three year spell with Crewe Alexandra followed, consisting of 73 appearances and seven goals, before a three-year period was spent with Bury between 2010 and 2013.

He left the Shakers having captained them to promotion from League Two, making 114 appearances and scoring 23 times, and joined Fleetwood.

Schumacher is a fierce midfielder who can play in any role in the middle of the park, be it an attacking one, a defensive one or a box-to-box one. He can also drop into the back four, if required.

Schumacher can't wait to get started

Speaking to the club's website, Schumacher said the decision to join Stevenage "wasn't a difficult one." He went on to explain that he was "really interested" in securing the move after a recent meeting with the club's manager and chairman.

In this meeting, Schumacher was told of the "direction they [think] the club is going in" and this made him "excited" and "persuaded [him] to come on board."

He also admitted that the presence of Mark Hughes, a player he played with at Bury who arrived at Stevenage earlier in the summer, had a large impact on his decision to join the club too. Hughes told Schumacher that he "would like [Stevenage] and that [he] would enjoy it."

Mark Roberts, who the 31-year-old played with at Fleetwood, also spoke to Schumacher about the club, and "couldn't speak highly enough" of it, according to the new arrival. This too was a big factor in Schumacher choosing the club, and "once [he] knew there was interest," he was "keen to come down and listen to what the boss and chairman had to say."

Despite the move being his first away from his native North West, the player is relishing the potential of "a new challenge" and believes it was "time for a change," even if "it is going to be different" and "strange."

The midfielder promised that he "will try [his] best to make the most of it" and is "looking forward" to "getting the season started now."

A third signing for Stevenage

Schumacher leaves Fleetwood after two years, during which he made 64 appearances in the league and scored five goals, helping the team win promotion to League One.

The midfielder is Teddy Sheringham's third signing of the summer, after Hughes arrived from Morecambe and Brett Williams joined from Aldershot. Stevenage are looking to push for promotion in the coming season, having reached the play-offs but missed out on the jump to League One this year, and Sheringham believes these three can bolster the squad and help them achieve their aims.

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About the author
Amee Ruszkai
Head of the Sunderland, Swansea City and women football sections at VAVEL UK. Email: [email protected]