Stevenage finished in a steady 14th place in League One in their first campaign under Alex Revell, the club’s third-highest ever league position. Having taken over from Steve Evans at the back end of last season, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to many had Boro succumbed to the drop.
However, Revell’s side had an unspectacular though safe season as they were the third-lowest goal scorers in the division and had the second-best defensive record outside of the top six.
The Hertfordshire-based side will be looking to build on last season’s performances and hoping to avoid a repeat of their previous stint in League One which saw them slide down the league table over a period of three seasons.
To avoid doing so, Revell may have to move some Stevenage players on, possibly to recuperate finances for other additions to the side. Aaron Pressley has the misfortune of finding himself on that list, according to Alan Nixon, with Bristol Rovers, Walsall, Cambridge United and Barrow all keen on securing his signature.
The striker missed the start of the 2024/25 campaign through an injury received in pre-season before joining Barrow on loan in January for the remainder of the campaign, hitting four in his 20 games for the Cumbrian outfit.
Stevenage are aiming to offload the striker on a permanent basis this time around, rather than seeing him spend the upcoming campaign out on loan once again.
Attacking business ahead at Stevenage
Having averaged less than a goal a game last season, it is evident Stevenage need to add more goals to their side. Only Dan Kemp and Jamie Reid hit more than five goals in the league last season, scoring a combined 18 goals.
We can question the case of asking why Boro are looking to offload forward men rather than bring them in, though it may be a case of players having to depart the club before they can bring their targets to the Lamex Stadium.
Stevenage have made three new additions so far this summer though only the signature of Chem Campbell from Wolves is attack-minded, so it is likely any attacking business is going to come later on in the window.
Several suitors
The question of where Pressley should head is a difficult one. Having found himself as a working cog at Barrow, it would perhaps be a safe move to return to Holker Street as he prepares to leave Stevenage.
However, were the Scotsman eager to push for a return to League One, he would most likely benefit from moving to one of the other three sides. The feel-good factor ahead of the 2025/26 campaign is likely to be felt at Bristol Rovers with the return of manager Darrell Clarke.
If he were to pick Cambridge United, it is likely that he would be in competition with Ryan Loft, who himself is a tall, powerful talisman. At Walsall, there would be a lot of pressure for the Saddlers to win promotion to League One following a disappointing second half of the season, which saw them miss out on promotion having spent the majority of the campaign at the top of the table.
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