Striker believes Boro have another gear to go up into

Patrick Agyemang believes Stevenage can go one better than last season and win promotion to the Championship.

The former QPR striker, who had a spell at Boro at the end of last season, signed a one-year deal with Stevenage on transfer deadline day.

Agyemang was one of three players to sign for Boro last week with former Getafe striker Dani Lopez also signing a one-year deal while Swindon Town midfielder Oliver Risser joined on loan until January.

Agyemang spent most of the summer training with Stevenage, but the two parties could not strike a deal and the frontman jetted off to South Africa last month where he thought he was joining Premier Soccer League side Bidvest Wits.

However, when that deal fell through he returned to England, contacted Boro boss Gary Smith and signed for the club last week.

Agyemang came off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Shrewsbury Town on Saturday and started for Boro in the 3-2 defeat at Dagenham & Redbridge in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on Tuesday evening.

Speaking about his hopes for the new season, Agyemang told the Comet: “Shrewsbury was my first game in a while so I just need to get that fitness.

“I think we can do even better [than last year’s play-off semi-final defeat].

“I think you can see against Shrewsbury that we didn’t play as well as we can and that was the best that they had. If we had gone up a gear then we would have beaten them easily.

“I always loved it here. It’s a pity that we couldn’t get [a deal] done sooner but I’m here now. It was always on the table, it was always just the little things that we needed to talk about.

“It wasn’t the only offer but if I wanted to go to any team in this league it was going to be here.”

Agyemang left QPR in the summer, and the 31-year-old said he felt welcomed at Stevenage when on loan last season after feeling neglected at Loftus road.

“I had a lot of highs there but there was a lot of lows with injuries and not playing as much and not getting in the squad of 25 in the Premiership,” he said.

“There was stuff to do with my injuries and I felt I was getting neglected there and as soon as I came here I felt I was getting the right treatment that I needed.”

Agyemang will be competing with Marcus Haber for a starting place in this Sunday’s League 1 match at Coventry City, which is live on Sky Sports.

Risser is also in contention, but the game may come too early for Lopez.