Young front man joins Conference South side in loan deal.

Young Peterborough United front man Mathew Stevens has joined Conference South side Slough Town on a six-month loan deal but as part of the transfer, the 20-year-old can still participate in under 23 fixtures for the football club when Slough are not in action.

Stevens enjoyed a wonderful loan spell with Kettering Town last season and started pre-season in fine form for Posh, ending the friendly programme as the leading goal-scorer. Manager Steve Evans is confident that Stevens will be a future success at the club but will benefit from first team football at a step up in terms of level from last season.

Evans said: “Matty Stevens has worked very hard during the summer on his fitness and continued that throughout pre-season. Supporters will recognise that he was the prime goalscorer at the start of pre-season and I think that he recognises that at the tender age of 20, the strikers that have come into the building have left him a little short in terms of being ready at this moment in time for the first team.

“We have had offers to put him into the National Conference, Conference South and back at clubs like Kettering and Kings Lynn who both made approaches. It made sense for us after his wonderful goal record at Kettering last season to step up a level, but not to exceed where he needs to be in terms of his development.

“The mission is for him to go there for six months and get some goals. The loan allows him to still be included in our under 23 games when Slough are not involved in midweek action and that is something that we will do because it is important that we keep him close to us because in my opinion he is a striker that can do well for Posh going forward,” Evans said.