Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace says the club are not in a position to go out and buy players just yet - meaning star strikers will have to come from within.

The Boro supremo was revealing the state of play with regards to recruitment at the recent fans' forum, held at the Lamex Stadium, when he was asked if he would dip his toe into the transfer market.

The answer was a resounding no although he wasn't unduly worried about that.

He said: "I was wondering the other day when we would be in a position to go out and buy players and we’re not there yet. 

"That’s not a problem because there are all sort of players available but we’re not in a situation where we can say we really like that guy, he’s exactly what we want so we’ll buy him for 100, 200 or £300,000. 

"We’d rather put the money into our budget and that will probably get two or three top players."

And that puts the kibosh on attracting star names, which again Wallace was not too concerned about.

He said: "You're always looking for that [big name], but the reality is we're not going to get a 25-a-year striker because they will demand the sort of wages we couldn’t possibly get near. 

"That’s if he was on a free transfer, If he was on a fee, it would be ridiculous so we have to find our own. 

"You could be lucky. When we signed Steve Morison, we were in the right place at the right time. 

"We’re always looking for one but we can’t get an established one and we wouldn't have the funds to do that.  

"We’ve got to be very clever about finding one."

What that means basically is that it is business as usual as far as Steve Evans' summer dealings are concerned.

And because the boss went out about the task so successfully 12 months ago, the chairman is more than prepared to trust his judgement.

He said: "We've really leaned heavily on this experience and Steve is the sort of manager that plays in all different sorts of formats and formations and his mentality is to get the best players he possibly can and work the system around those players. 

"We'll start with recruitment and it will be similar to last year.  

"Steve's got certain values and we have to find players that match those values so that's the job for Leon Hunter to bring it to Steve and for Steve to say yes or no. 

"They are working through a list but we can be more adventurous and more aggressive now. 

"We've got a good reputation and although some players don't like to play for Steve, a lot do, the majority do. 

"He gets a really good reception from players and players that have played for him in the past think very highly of him. 

"It's all about recruitment and once you've got the recruitment right, then it's about your manager and their motivating plan. 

"I am really expecting to do quite well next year."  

Part of that business model is utilise loan deals and while Wallace would prefer permanent signings, he acknowledges the usefulness and effectiveness of loans.

"Loans are a key factor," he admitted. "If you've got a successful club, you've got to play the loan market really well. 

"We've done it this year but to play the loan market well you have to have the right contacts and know who to call and when to call. 

"That's part of what Steve and Leon both do but we won't secure them until right at the end [of the window]. That's maybe a late July decision. 

"Our focus is to get our own permanent players, let's say 18 or 20, and then look for three or four top-line loan signings."