Stephen began his career with Southampton as a schoolboy and despite a year as a professional he failed to force his way into the first team and he moved onto Colchester where he signed a two-year deal.

His debut was marred by a red card just 59 seconds after coming off the bench following a crunching tackle on an opposition player. He shrugged off the blow to become a regular in defence for the rest of the campaign, and he scored his first ever goal in January 2005 against Walsall.

The following year saw Stephen make only two appearances due to injury, but after coming to Meadow Lane under the recommendation of Phil Parkinson, the former Colchester Manager, he struggled to make an impact early in the season but once was handed a chance in the Autumn he never looked back with a number of outstanding displays.

The centre-back was handed a new two-year deal as a result of his fine displays, and he has all the attributes to have a good career in the games with excellent strength, pace and awareness.