FORMER Liverpool and Swindon Town goalkeeper Jamie Stephens is ‘relishing’ the prospect of facing his boyhood team Forest Green in the FA Cup.

The most famous domestic cup competition in the world will see the one-time Forest Green youth team keeper go glove-to-glove with the team he supported as a teenager after joining Gloucester City on a one-month loan deal from League Two outfit Newport County.

Stephens, 21, joined Swindon Town from Rovers before being snapped up by Premier League giants Liverpool, where he played youth football alongside Raheem Sterling and trained with the likes of Pepe Reina and Luis Suarez.

The Wotton-under-Edge born stopper will be trying to shut out an in-form Forest Green side, who will lock horns in the fourth and final qualifying round with Conference North struglers Gloucester City at Cheltenham Town’s Whaddon Road on Saturday, 3pm.

He replaces Forest Green’s Paul White in the Tigers’ goal as FA rulings denied White the chance to play against his parent club.

The former Katharine Lady Berkeley’s student, who admired former Forest Green keeper Steve Perrin from the terraces as a schoolboy, is looking forward to his FA Cup test.

“Having spent the vast majority of my childhood watching Forest Green at the old ground, it will be a strange yet exciting experience to play against my boyhood club,” said Stephens.

“I was at Forest Green for a year during my youth career and truly enjoyed my time there. It’s a wonderful club, but I can’t wait for my first taste of FA Cup action, it’s a competition you dream of playing in as a kid and I hope we (Gloucester) can get a result.”

Stephens came close to re-signing for Forest Green when he left Liverpool, but the lure of League Football at Newport forced his hand.

He said: “After coming to an agreement to leave Liverpool at the end of last summer, I was in search of first team football and was very fortunate to be offered some excellent opportunities from a number of clubs. “Former Forest Green boss David Hockaday spoke to me, but in terms of playing time and to have the opportunity to play League football I couldn’t turn down Newport’s offer.”

Stephens hopes his time at City will work well for both parties.

“Gloucester has a wonderful history and is a club full of tradition. They’ve got some brilliant people involved here and when City boss Tim Harris spoke to Justin Edinburgh about the loan opportunity I jumped at the chance to get some game time following my injury.

“I’m truly grateful to Tim and Gloucester for giving me this chance and I’m looking to repay them in performances, starting against Forest Green this weekend.”