Terry Taylor nearly joined Stevenage before returning to Sixfields

Boro have been interested in the 25-year-old midfielder for the past two summers, and they eventually got their man last month when he signed a two-year deal with Alex Revell’s side, including an option for a further 12 months.

"It’s actually been going on for a little while,” explained Taylor. “When I came back from injury last summer, I was looking to leave Charlton and get out on loan again and I had a couple of chats with the manager here. I ended up going in a different direction, which I felt was best for me at the time, but that stuck in my mind.

"Those conversations stayed with me and when It came to being out of contract this summer, I had more discussions and the turning point was when I came to the Stevenage training ground and spoke to the manager again. They laid everything out for me and I just got a really good vibe from it and so far it feels like the right decision – it’s a great environment here.

"The club made the play-offs last season and that sets the bar – it shows where the club is going. I got a good feeling as soon as I spoke to the manager and it’s clear the club are always trying to improve and move forward.”

Revell added: “We’ve followed Terry for a long time now – we tried to sign him previously but he went on loan to Northampton because he felt that was the best thing for him. We tried again last summer, he went on loan again, but he’s played a lot of games now and we feel we can really mature him and help his game.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done with him but he’s still young and he has real quality and real talent and he can dictate games for us. Other clubs wanted him but he’s been a long-term target for us, we know how he can fit into our group, and we’re really pleased to have him.”