Westley back in the old routine

LIKE Athletic, Stevenage appointed a new manager towards the back end of last season and have made plenty of changes during the summer.

Graham Westley was reappointed Boro boss on the same day Lee Johnson began at Boundary Park – March 13.

Westley had endured a dire spell at Preston, but when Gary Smith was fired with the threat of relegation hanging over theteam, the man who had previously lifted Stevenage a couple of divisions - and even into the third tier play-offs – was back like a shot.

Stevenage made it into 18th place in the League One table by the end of last season, and since then a clutch of new faces has linked up.

Jimmy Smith has signed from Leyton Orient, Simon Heslop from Oxford, Sam Wedgbury from Macclesfield, Jordan Burrow from Morecambe and Luke Jones from Mansfield.

Also new to Stevenage is a very familiar name among Athletic fans – Oumare Tounkara, brought from Bristol Rovers.

Stevenage lacked firepower last season. They averaged fewer than four shots on target per match - the worst record in the division.

Last term’s 10-goal leading scorer Lucas Akins is still with the club, but word is he may not be for much longer: Westley isn’t a big fan.

Their man in form, and considerable demand, is Spanish striker Dani Lopez. He has bagged plenty of goals.