Smith prepared to fend off interest

Gary Smith is braced for a battle as he bids to keep hold of his best players at Stevenage.

Boro missed out on the opportunity to achieve a third consecutive promotion when they were beaten in the npower League One play-off semi-final by Sheffield United. But after such a remarkable season of over-achievement, Smith conceded some of his star players may attract interest from elsewhere. "Clubs are looking at our players," Smith told BBC Three Counties Radio. "There are players out of contract I need to work hard to try and keep. "My job is to try and keep this group intact as much as possible. "What we're seeing is a group of players attracting a lot of attention."