Stevenage still have plenty of irons in the fire when it comes to buying new players but Steve Evans admits it is getting frustrated.

His rebuild of the Boro squad has already been extensive since their promotion to League One but he knows that there is still a good number of spaces to fill in the squad.

And he has a figure in mind.

"Between four and six," he said, "if they're available. Everyone can identify the positional areas that we need to strengthen. 

"We’ve been a long way down the path with different players at different weeks and they've chosen to go to higher placed clubs in the pyramid or what I call the 10 big clubs in League One. 

"We understand that but we're still in dialogue with some clubs and agents and players now that we think we're close to. 

"I said to the players after Colchester that we’d have two or three bodies. 

"Those two or three bodies are still on the table, they've not gone anywhere, but we've just not got them over the line. 

"We're working hard. We have a set finance budget that we won't break and the chairman is frustrated, he rings me every day, but he doesn't want to repent at leisure because we acted in haste."

One of those positions is up front but the Boro boss admits there is a shortage of players who are available and fit in their price structure.

He did insist that one would arrive before the close of the window.

Evans said: "We'd all love to have that big money signing that scores lots of goals but in reality, if we're going to get one in League One, it is going to be somebody we're going to have to find. 

"Strikers command probably more than what we can do but we we will add to the striking department and we’ll add who we think will help us. 

"We're trying hard and we'll be successful in getting these players in. I'll keep driving the length of the breadth of the country and keep talking to them, so will Leon [Hunter]." 

Evans also believes that the club are behind where they wanted to be at this stage of pre-season but says that will not be the case come the beginning of August and the trip to Northampton.

"We all know the strength of the league we’re going up into," said the manager.

"We have a lot of work to do at Bragbury End this week and we need to get some fresh bodies out and extra bodies to come and help the group. 

"But we expected every player to be capable of starting in the Northampton game when we signed them and it's very difficult to plan a starting line-up when I know who we're talking to. 

"You think ‘would some of them fit’ and yes, they would. 

"Are they training as hard now as we are? Time will tell if and when they come into the building. 

"Some of them are away with their Premier League clubs overseas so you know they are going to be fit and playing their football. 

"We know what we've got what to do."