Who Are... Stevenage Borough FC?
Now heading into their 14th consecutive season at the top of the non-league pyramid, Stevenage Borough head into the 2008/9 off the back of a turbulent preceding season but still with a cautious optimism. If the 2006/7 FA Trophy win at Wembley marked a further stage of development for the Hertfordshire club, the 2007/8 campaign ultimately proved to be a disheartening affair. Despite hitting the summit of the Blue Square Premier in Autumn 2007 thanks to a run of eight successive clean sheets, a managerial merry-go-round was instigated which cost Boro' a shot at the playoffs.

Mark Stimson left the club in acrimonious circumstances when Gillingham came calling, and the former Grays man subsequently took a number of players with him. His replacement, Peter Taylor, arrived at the club in a blaze of acclaim with holes in the squad that needed filling. But despite, at one point, having a fifteen-point cushion inside the playoff places, Taylor failed to engineer a successful promotion push with Boro' finally ending up two points shy of the top five. If it were a political election, it would have probably been an unprecedented swing!

The dust had barely settled on the rollercoaster season by the time Taylor left Broadhall Way. His successor raised even eyebrows to say the very least, as Graham Westley returned to the club for a second stint in charge. A host of early signings and the now-traditional placing as the bookies' pre-season favourites all add up for an interesting 2008/9 for Boro'. Retaining the services of prolific goalscorer Steve Morison will be crucial to Boro's promotion push, but yet again, it will be expected of the Hertfordshire club to make the playoffs at minimum. But as last season proved, nothing is ever straight-forward.

BoroGuide Prediction: 3rd