A “horrendous season”, impending relegation and financial worries may make it seem like the Lamex Stadium is full of nothing but doom and gloom at the minute but Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace says there has been bright shining silver lining come out from under the darkest of clouds – manager Alex Revell.

The 36-year-old called time on his playing career and took charge of the struggling League Two side in February, taking charge of two games before coronavirus brought the season to a sudden and untimely end, resulting in Boro’s expected drop back to non-league.

And Wallace believes the sorry saga that was the 2019-2020 season, which started with Dino Maamria in charge and then Graham Westley, could have inadvertently unearthed a diamond in the rough.

He said: “Looking at our own situation, it has been a horrendous season from just about every perspective with certain distractions to the season unforeseeable.

“But what has gone has gone. We know what went wrong, we know the mistakes made and from now on we only look forwards, with a determination never to be in this position again.

“However, out of all these negatives has come one good thing I didn’t foresee, Alex Revell.

“Rarely have I seen a young man grow and evolve before my eyes so quickly.

“With 20 years as a pro he obviously knows how the game works and he knows a lot of football people in key positions in the game but I didn’t see the qualities less than a year ago that I am seeing in him now.”

Wallace is now ready to give his young boss every opportunity to succeed at the club and to help he has already brought in the well-travelled and highly knowledgeable Lennie Lawrence as an assistant.

The chairman said: “One aspect of managing that Alex couldn’t possibly have, experience, is obviously missing so we were delighted to secure the services of Lennie Lawrence to join the management team and act as a mentor and adviser to Alex.

“Lennie not only has great contacts in the game having managed 12 clubs but is one of a select group of 31 managers with over 1,000 professional games under their belt.

“Driven by Revs, everyone is determined to create a new approach with new players and a new way of playing to excite and entertain Boro fans.”