ALEX REVELL reveals how he turned Stevenage into League One's surprise package: His rule for new signings, what's 'special' about his squad, the lessons he learned from the Red Arrows and why he struggled during his first stint in charge

It's just before 5pm on a Saturday and Alex Revell is walking towards the Stevenage faithful in the East Terrace at the Lamex Stadium.

The sight is one that has become familiar this season, as Revell proceeds to celebrate with his signature fist pumps, each one met with a larger roar from Boro supporters than the last.

Stevenage, one of the smallest clubs in League One who draw the division's second-lowest attendances, are top of the table after a superb 2-0 victory against arch-rivals Luton Town - their eighth win in 10 games.

These are heady times for Boro. In their 50th season of existence, this is the highest they have ever been in the pyramid, and the incredible start comes despite many tipping them to float around the lower reaches of the third tier.

‘We’re probably ahead of where we thought we'd be,’ Revell tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘Last year we had a season of transition where we saw signs of a good team and then we'd lose a couple on the spin.

‘During the summer we tried hard with recruitment and the way we want to play. The players that came in have bought into what we already had, which was a top group. We work incredibly hard to make sure we give the players the best opportunity to go and perform to a high level. At the moment, everybody is doing that.’

Stevenage were only promoted to the EFL for the first time in 2010 and are in their third season back in League One after promotion under Steve Evans in 2023.

They finished ninth in 2023-24, before coming 14th last time out, with Revell taking the top job in April 2024 after Evans left to join Rotherham.

Revell himself has a fascinating background at the club. After ending his playing career with Boro in 2019, he was appointed as Under 18s manager. But he was soon thrown in the deep end, becoming the fourth senior boss in a torrid 2019-20 campaign for two games until Covid struck. That season - which also saw Revell come out of retirement briefly as a player - the club were only saved from relegation out of League Two due to off-field issues at Bury and Macclesfield.

He spent 21 months in charge and maintained Stevenage’s EFL status, but his tenure ended when he made the decision to step away amid a difficult run of form in November 2021.

The former striker then came back to work in the academy and was promoted to first-team coach by Evans until he stepped up again. Unsurprisingly, he is hugely popular among the Boro faithful.

Across Revell's first full campaign back in charge, Boro were solid, if unspectacular, keeping an impressive 17 clean sheets across 46 games but their progress was hampered by scoring just 42 goals.

Attacking quality was therefore a key focus of the summer transfer window. Wingers Chem Campbell, Beryly Lubala and Phoenix Patterson arrived, while Charlton striker Gassan Ahadme joined on loan, although he has had to play second fiddle behind the in-form Jamie Reid.

‘If you keep 17 clean sheets, you should be in the top six,’ adds Revell, who has the most wins of any Stevenage manager in League One. ‘But we just didn’t score enough goals last year.’

That focus has been rewarded, with Boro netting 17 times in 10 league games. They also hammered fellow League One high-flyers AFC Wimbledon 5-1 in the EFL Trophy, yet they have still managed four shutouts at the other end.

In fact, Stevenage have the best 'big chance' conversion rate in the third tier at 55.6 per cent - and they have conceded the fewest amount of goals with eight.

Those summer additions, which crucially also included Plymouth midfielder Jordan Houghton and Aston Villa goalkeeper Filip Marschall, have supplemented an already impressive squad, where the core of the League Two promotion-winning team remains.

A key part of Boro’s early success has still been entrenched in hard work and organisation, but Revell also looked for outside learnings and in particular the journeys of Leyton Orient and Wycombe last season. Orient lost in the play-off final to Charlton, while Wycombe were beaten by the Addicks in the semi-final and had been second before boss Matt Bloomfield was poached by Luton in January.

Orient and Wycombe are similar-sized clubs to Stevenage in a league littered with former Premier League sides, and Revell examined their recruitment and playing style to see what has proven to be successful in League One.

As a result, Revell wanted to increase the pace and power within Boro’s squad and improve the wide options at his disposal.

‘You have to have your own stamp, but you must learn from other teams, managers and people too,’ Revell explains.

‘The models of those two (Leyton Orient and Wycombe) are something we have to learn from and they’re models that are similar to us. They probably overachieved last season, but if they can do that, then with the group we’ve got, can we do the same?’

Off the pitch, Revell has fostered an incredible unity and togetherness across the club and the 7,228 in attendance for Boro’s victory over Luton was the second-highest in their history, behind only a 1998 FA Cup tie against Newcastle United.

In truth, Stevenage's story is a triumph of stability and progress. They regularly post a profit under astute owner Phil Wallace and possess Championship-level training facilities. The Lamex has similarly received gradual improvements over the years.

Elsewhere, it was announced last week that Los Angeles-based video games e-commerce company Xsolla had extended their sponsorship of the club, with this described as the ‘most significant shirt deal in the club’s history’.

But at the heart of Boro's progress is the unity and camaraderie within the squad.

‘That one special thing about us is our group,’ Revell says. ‘It is the best group I've ever worked with as a player or a coach. They understand what we're about and the DNA of the football club.

‘Sometimes, you go to places and a shirt fits, and we've got a lot of players whose shirt fits here. We're really proud of where we are as a club.’

That team spirit was helped by a pre-season training camp to Murcia this summer, and Boro players have holidayed together in recent years. This included a trip to Marbella involving the majority of the squad after promotion in 2023.

To maintain that special environment, background checks on new signings can see the club speak to more than 10 people for references. Revell will also meet potential additions two to three times in person and has turned down deals in the past amid concerns about the impact on the dressing room.

The 42-year-old is engaging company and brutally honest when reflecting on his previous stint as manager.

‘I felt ready for the day-to-day side of things like signing players,’ he says. ‘But I probably didn't know what I was as a manager or who I was at all. I didn't know what pressure felt like in terms of managing 22 lads that all wanted to play, managing individuals differently and understanding players when they had an off day.

‘I didn't deal very well with that pressure because I'd never felt it. I got to a point where I started to see a team that wasn't a team I wanted to watch as a manager, and we decided to go separate ways. But if I hadn't had that chance, I don't think I'd be who I am now.’

Studying pressure during his UEFA Pro Licence, where Revell took it upon himself to speak to bomb disposal experts, emergency service workers and even the Red Arrows, helped put things into perspective. As did his wife Julia’s job in the neonatal unit at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge, and he now tries to spend more time with his family away from the game.

‘I absolutely know how I want to manage things now, how I want to do things and I've got a staff that I trust beyond belief,' he adds. ‘I just feel at ease with the whole situation. There are only 72 jobs up for grabs, and I've got one of them, so I’m very privileged. I have to make the most of that opportunity and enjoy it.’

After their clash at Peterborough last Saturday was postponed due to international call-ups - another sign of how far the club has come - Boro face crunch top-of-the-table clashes against Lincoln and Bradford in successive weeks.

So, how far can this side go?

‘I know it’s a boring answer but genuinely we just enjoy building what we’re doing,’ Revell concludes. ‘We just have to make sure we don’t lose focus. There’s going to be bumps of course, but it’s about how you overcome those bumps.

‘We want to keep learning, pushing, believing in the group and growing with our team, so let's just see.

‘But it's been a really good start. We just have to make sure that continues.’

Hughes’ perfect riposte 

It’s not been the easiest of introductions to management at Newport County for former Manchester United youth coach David Hughes, with the Welsh side in the League Two relegation zone and on a nine-match winless run in the league before Saturday’s 1-0 triumph at Accrington Stanley.

That game was watched from the stands by former Leicester defender Christian Fuchs, amid reports linking the Austrian with the managerial job at Rodney Parade.

But Hughes responded to the speculation in the perfect way as his side secured a hard-fought victory, after which he sent a thinly-veiled message to those above him at the club.

‘I knew that (Fuchs was here) as well,’ Hughes said post-match. ‘A good friend of mine told me that (he was coming) yesterday. That’s the nature of the game isn’t it? If you are not successful and you are not winning then questions are asked.

‘I have never deviated in my belief in the players. Maybe one or two have deviated in their belief in me.’

Walsall show their mettle 

After a double heartbreak for Walsall in 2024-25, where they missed out on automatic promotion on the final day by virtue of a 96th-minute goal before also losing in the play-off final, many questioned what would come next for the Saddlers.

But to boss Mat Sadler’s immense credit, he has rejuvenated his side despite facing significant squad upheaval over the summer.

Sadler himself faced scrutiny in his role, but Walsall are top of League Two after 12 games and will hope the lessons learnt from last season stand them in good stead heading into the hectic winter schedule.