Stevenage manager Darren Sarll believes his squad will impress this season despite what he called the “crazy money” being spent throughout Sky Bet League Two.

He stopped short of giving a definitive prediction of their fortunes in the upcoming campaign but the confidence was there for all to see.

Stevenage returned to pre-season training this week with plenty of new faces in their ranks.

All cost next to nothing compared to some of the transfer dealings of their divisional rivals.

But Sarll believes his new recruits, together with those still at the Lamex, could give them an edge this year.

He said: “I don’t think it is as obviously competitive as it was last year but knowing what I know from inside the market and inside the industry, the money that is being spent is outrageous. It’s just crazy money.

“We can’t get embroiled in fights like that. We just won’t win and we’re humble enough to acknowledge and accept that.

“All we’ve got to do is we make good decisions for Stevenage. Some will be for short term success but the majority of these decisions have to be for the long-term good of the club.

“We are young and it’s going to take a while for this group of men to come together and learn about each other especially psychologically and socially.

“But I think that is part of the fun. We’ve laid some good foundations and have a lot of players that should start arriving into their prime.

“Some of them are League One players. We know we’ve got one of the top five strikers in League Two and in my humble opinion, and I am biased, the best 20-year-old in the division in Ben Kennedy.

“I think we’ll be alright.”

Sarll says desire is a key part of their genetic make-up and claims he has already seen in the first few days since the summer break enough to back-up his confidence.

He added: “One thing these boys can do, and we’ve seen it in the first few days of pre-season, is my word they can run.

“I really want to produce a team that can play at such a ferocious intensity because of their athletic and technical capabilities that it becomes a showpiece every Saturday.

“I want a team that has a hunger and ambition that I have and we’ll mix it with some real good men and get a good balance.”