Stephenson initially joined Heaton Stannington in August 2021 and was part of the side the won promotion from the Northern League to the Northern Premier League East in 2024.

After four and a half years at The Stan, Stephenson joined Newcastle Blue Star in January and played a key role in their rise up the Northern League table in the second half of last season.

Primarily a left-back, but more than capable of playing further up the pitch, Stephenson is a player that Jon McDonald has been eyeing for a while and is thrilled to get it over the line:

"Dan is a player with real quality and another player I've been following for some time. He's capable of scoring and assisting and, in addition to this, he's versatile, and can operate at full back or in midfield.

"His quality and delivery from wide areas is exceptional. He came through the academy system at Sunderland and has made a big impact in non-league football too.

"He's only 24-years-old, so we are adding yet another young player with potential and quality to our ranks."

Welcome to Dunston, Dan!