Stevenage boss Steve Evans has said his side must take more risks and begin winning games if they are to make the League One play-offs.
Boro are without a win in seven and have fallen out of the top six that they have occupied for majority of the season. Two 0-0 draws across the Easter weekend proved their quality as the second best defence in the division behind Lincoln City and moving their clean sheet tally to 19, although also emphasised their recent struggles in front of goal, having failed to find the back of the net in five of their last seven.
The unbeaten in 15 Lincoln City, and an Oxford United side that seems rejuvenated are proving to be tough competition for a sixth placed finish that would equal the best in Stevenage’s history.
Steve Evans and his team make the long trip down to Exeter City on Saturday as they look to re-find their best form. The Grecians will be no pushover though, as they are now unbeaten in five following a 2-1 win away at Cheltenham Town on Easter Monday. The West Country outfit are now without much to play for as their last few results have seen them all but cement their status in League One for next season.
Evans, who was nominated for League One Manager of the Season award this week, has realised it is crunch time and his team must start turning draws into wins if they are to make the play-offs, stating in an interview with The Comet:
“Win all five and it gives us a real chance. Of course, it’s going to be tough, we know it is, it’s tough at the start of the season, so we can only concentrate and focus on one game at a time.
“I’ve got far too much respect for Gary and everyone at Exeter to think we are just going to go down there and win. But we are at a stage in the season where we have to win some football matches, so maybe it’s not [about getting to the 70th minute].
“We didn’t wait till 70 minutes at Charlton. We changed it in my mind on 30, 35 and we [actually] changed it at half-time. It’ll probably be a similar process. We certainly need to be in the game around half-time and we then have to be prepared to lose.
“If you’re not prepared to lose, you’re not trying to win in my opinion.”
Writer’s View
Just a few short weeks ago it seemed highly possible that Stevenage were going to be the plucky newcomers that faced the big boys in the League One play-offs in May. However, a few games down the line and things look a whole lot different. They have been left wondering how they have let Oxford United, and especially Lincoln City, catch them. They could well now be wondering where their next win, or even goal, is going to come from.
But if the last two years under Steve Evans tell us anything about Boro it’s that they should never be written off. The Scotsman has been here before countless times, he knows what it takes to get a team over the line. It is just perhaps a question of is there enough quality in this Stevenage team to still have their Championship dream alive come the final day.
