Fin Stevens, Scott Banks, and Ricky-Jade Jones impress in St. Pauli friendly

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Though they were playing an amateur opponent, St. Pauli had plenty to celebrate in their first friendly ahead of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign. New singing Ricky-Jade Jones recorded a hat trick. Injury-jinxed Scottish youth international Scott Banks only needed seven minutes to score the opening goal. Welsh fullback Fin Stevens also scored a goal and recorded an assist.

St. Pauli took a chance on Banks last year, signing him permanently from Crystal Palace despite the fact that an ACL tear limited him to just four 2. Bundesliga appearances during a 2023/24 loan stint. A bone edema continued to plague the Scotland U21 international all of last year. Banks made just 12 appearances during the 2024/25 campaign in the top flight. 

Stevens, signed from Brentford last summer, never found his Blessin’s good graces. After starting in St. Pauli’s opening round Pokal fixture, the twice-capped Welsh international made Blessin’s matchday squad on only 14 of 34 occasions. The St. Pauli head coach saw fit to give Stevens one solitary minute of Bundesliga action as a time-killing sub on matchday 19. 

In his comments after the match, Blessin made clear that he was prepared to give Stevens a clean slate. Hamburg’s Kiezkicker continue to build a squad consisting of players with experience in the English lower divisions and even signed a striker with some Premier League experience, Andréas Hountondji, earlier today.

“Fin has earned his chance,” Blessin said of Stevens while speaking to the Hamburger Abdendblatt after yesterday’s 10-0 victory over SV Grün-Weiß Firrel. “It’s important for him to take part in every training session during the preseason, and every friendly game if possible.”

GGFN | Peter Weis