Stevenage are knocking on the League One play-off door and targeting back-to-back promotions after notching 52 points from 29 matches this season.
Steve Evans’ side are defying the pre-season predictions, some of which had the club as a potential relegation candidate. The Hertfordshire side are now looking up and hunting a promotion spot. At this stage, even a top-two finish is not completely out of the question.
Stevenage sit seven points behind Derby in sixth place and head to Pride Park on February 17 for a tantalising clash that could fire the Boro straight into top-two contention.
A hard-to-beat, defensive first approach has been part of the consistency under Evans, which led to promotion last season and has ultimately continued into the 2023/24 campaign. This consistency has led to just seven Stevenage defeats and only 28 goals conceded.
It’s no surprise to consider defenders among Boro’s key players for the campaign. However, contributions at both ends will be critical to their promotion chances.
We look at the three standout players for Stevenage in League One this season who will be crucial to a successful play-off challenge.
Carl Piergianni
Stevenage’s 2022/23 Player of the Year, Carl Piergianni, has carried his incredible consistency into the 2023/24 campaign. The central defender has started all of Stevenage’s 29 League One matches this season and has been the standout member of Evans’ backline.
Featuring in either a back three or two, Piergianni has showcased his adaptability to slot in seamlessly in both setups. Often, the 31-year-old’s composure and organisation have also rubbed off on his central defensive partners, with Dan Sweeny or Nathan Thompson benefitting from Piergianni’s presence.
Unsurprisingly, Piergianni leads the way for Stevenage’s defensive stats. According to Whoscored, the defender has made the most blocks (1.1 per game) and clearances (3.8 per game).
Piergianni is Evans’ reliable defensive enforcer. His contributions have helped Boro to concede the second-lowest number of goals in League One this season. In addition, committed backline stalwarts like Piergianni help massively with the off-the-ball contributions, especially as the Hertfordshire side average just 43% possession in League One this season.
This resolute defensive approach has provided the foundation for Stevenage to progress, similar to their League Two promotion campaign last season.
Piergianni is arguably the club’s most important player for the play-off run-in and the Boro will be expecting their star man to lead them over the line.
If the English centre-back continues to perform to the standard he has shown this season, he will be the leading candidate for a consecutive club Player of the Year award again.
Dan Sweeney
Dan Sweeney has proved a reliable centre-back partner to Piergianni since returning from injury in mid-December following a two-month injury layoff.
When available Sweeney has put in some top-level defensive displays to see Stevenage over the line in tight matches. Most recently, a rock-solid display from Sweeney and Piergianni provided a crucial foundation for the 1-0 home win over potential play-off rivals Blackpool.
As the starting centre-back pairing, Sweeney and Piergianni have helped the Boro to keep five League One clean sheets in 15 matches.
Defensive teams like these form the building blocks of any good side and Evans will be fully aware of how important the Piergianni-Sweeney bond will be as the play-off momentum ramps up.
Jamie Reid
Counter-attacking teams usually struggle to flourish without a key attacking focal point. Fortunately, Jamie Reid has proven to be Stevenage’s attacking outlet for goals throughout the campaign.
Reid’s 16 League One goals have been essential to complement a solid backline. The 29-year-old has also struck at crucial times, with five league goals proving to be match-winners.
Consistency to Reid’s goll-scoring this season has also been impressive, as his only barren spell was a three-match goalless streak between late August and early September.
Aside from his goals, Reid has offered an outlet to ease pressure in the attacking third. His 3.1 shot attempts per game are the highest in Stevenage’s squad this season. The attacker also attempts the most dribbles per match (2.1 per game) – an essential forward quality to move the team up the pitch in transitions.
After scoring just 16 goals in 83 League Two appearances before this season, few would have predicted Reid to be an effective striker in the third tier. But Evans has kept the faith in Reid, who is repaying his manager with a big input.
Stevenage will feel positive about heading into the final third of the League One campaign. While success has been built on a tight-knit unit, keeping these three players fit and in form for the run-in will be essential.
In particular, Piergianni will be the Boro’s main man for the final 17 matches of the season.
