In truth there were few surprises here. Stevenage were hunting automatic promotion against a Rovers side not looking like they have a win in them, with an injury list as long as this wretched season has felt.
The outcome; a 64th defeat in 112 league games, and a 16th in 29 under Danny Schofield, who looks increasingly lost.
Rovers had two players that summarise Stevenage’s style and proximity to elevation – Adam Long and Ben Close – and just one to describe their first half efforts. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t the skipper. And they managed to lose another senior player before kick-off in Zain Westbrooke. The tone was arguably set then, but certainly was in the opening couple of minutes.
Rovers allowed the first of many expected direct balls to bounce straight through, and then didn’t deal with a wide free-kick that was chucked high into the box. Either or both could have found the net. It didn’t take long for Stevenage to strike. Poor defending from both wing-backs resulted in Jordan Roberts getting a clear sight of goal, one he didn’t pass up.
Three moments in the first half summed it up, on each occasion balls from Bobby Faulkner, Kyle Hurst and Jonathan Mitchell going out in relatively comical fashion.
The second half wasn’t as one-sided, with Hurst getting an effort away after bright play by Jack Goodman, but now only Rochdale, the beleaguered bottom side, have lost more games than Rovers this season. Let that sink in for a moment.
by Daniel Nice
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