A towering, uncompromising centre back, Steve Evans made a remarkable impact in his first season in the Football League.

A Wrexham lad, he started out with stints at Crewe and West Brom, but was unable to secure a professional contract or break into the first team at either club and moved to League of Wales powerhouse TNS in 1999.

His seven years in mid-Wales saw him win three titles and one Welsh Cup, not to mention the League of Wales Player of the Season award for 2005, but he caught Wrexham's eye in the 2005-6 season with some high profile performances.

First he stood out in TNS's heroic efforts against European Champions Liverpool, and then he put in a remarkable performance in the Welsh Premier Cup semi-final at The Racecourse.  Having looked the part at the back, he was thrown up front during extra time in an attempt to rescue the tie and scored a spectacular equaliser from long distance after intercepting a header by Mike Ingham, securing a 3-3 draw.  However, Ingham made amends by saving his penalty in the subsequent shoot-out, which went to eighteen kicks before Wrexham prevailed.

Evans got his chance with Wrexham the following season when Denis Smith signed him in the close season.  Despite being twenty-seven by then, Smith prophetically claimed the centre-back had the attributes required to be an international, and Evans quickly set about justifying these bold words.  His security in the first team aided by the departure of Dennis Lawrence, Evans immediately established himself as an imposing character, not to mention a genuine threat from set-pieces, scoring on his home debut against Grimsby.

Stand-out performances in away cup ties against higher division sides such as Birmingham City and Derby County earned him the attention of John Toshack, who gave him an international debut in a game at The Racecourse against Liechtenstein.  A solid performance was followed up with a fine display away to Northern Ireland, establishing him as a reliable member of Toshack's squad.

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