Thrifty and thriving: how Stevenage have hit the top

Alex Revell has made light of a bottom-half budget to build a team with the best record in the top four tiers

- Ben Fisher

These are heady days at Stevenage. They are top of League One under Alex Revell and a mile or so up the road an Airbus hub is building robots to explore Mars.

A couple of months ago, the club's longstanding chair, Phil Wallace, highlighted how Stevenage were one of the best points-per-pound performers last season - when they finished in mid-table - and after a near-flawless start this time they have the best points-per-game record in England's top four divisions.

It is fair to say supporters are getting plenty of bang for their buck. A crowd of 7,228 packed into Stevenage's modest ground for their latest league victory, over Luton, their highest attendance since welcoming Newcastle in the FA Cup fourth round in 1998, when a temporary stand boosted the capacity.

Revell exudes pride as he discusses the strides the team have taken since he stepped up to manage the club - where he finished his playing career - for a second time 18 months ago. "We've got something everyone else is searching for - and we've got to protect that," the 42-year-old says.

The big question is: how have a team with a bottom-half budget stormed to the summit? Revell takes inspiration from the way Wycombe and Leyton Orient outmuscled bigger teams last season and summer recruitment, overseen by the sporting director, Leon Hunter, was pivotal.

Jordan Houghton, a midfielder who began his career at Chelsea, joined after rejecting a new deal at Plymouth and the goalkeeper Filip Marschall and winger Chem Campbell signed permanently from Aston Villa and Wolves respectively. Dan Kemp and Harvey White also have topflight pedigree. The top goalscorer, Jamie Reid, is a Northern Ireland international.

Things have evolved since Revell retired six years ago. "Before it was: 'Who can we get?' Now it's: 'Who do we want? Who can make us better?"