Barrow 1-3 Stevenage

August 31, 2008 1 Comment

Thanks to goals from Callum Willock, Scott Laird and Lawrie Wilson, Boro got an important 3 points from Holker Street against a Barrow side who didn’t live up to their expectations they’ve set so far this season. Boro made 3 changes with Mark Albrighton and Ronnie Henry both missing out along with Mitchell Cole. Eddie Anaclet returned at right back to take care of Barrow’s tricky winger Carlos Logan and Daryl McMahon replaced Cole on the left wing. Michael Bostwick also returned to the side at centre half alongside Luke Oliver.

Barrow did start the brighter and when Boro conceded a 12th minute penalty, thoughts of “here we go again” were going through the mind. Scott Laird got on the wrong side of Barrow winger Matt Henney and pulled him down. The penalty was comfortably converted by centre half Steve McNulty and the home crowd were sensing another win to add to their impressive 3 wins in 5 games already.

However, Stevenage bounced back shortly after the goal and started to threaten, what was in fairness an average Barrow team. Morison had two chances to put Boro back in the game, one shot from an acute angle while another hit the post. Peter Vincenti also went close with a shot from just outside the area. After half an hour though Boro did get the break through. Peter Vincenti nodded Chris Day’s free kick onto Calum Willock’s head to give Boro a well deserved equaliser. Eddie Anaclet then had a tame left footed effort that went out for a throw in before Daryl McMahon had an effort which failed to test the Barrow keeper.

Barrow did have a few chances along the way, however Boro defended a lot better from set-pieces and looked much more organised than in previous games, even though they continued bringing back all 11 men in the box! Chris Day made one outstanding save and continuously showed why he has kept Ashley Bayes out of the starting 11 for the last 2 games. It’s no surprise that the last 2 games shows Boro have picked up 4 points out of a possible 6 and only conceded 2 goals, which were both arguably Laird’s fault. I would love Day to remain at Boro for at least the season. Fred Murray Scott Laird then made up for conceding the penalty by smashing in an absolute cracker from 20 yards into the top left corner.

The second half started slowly for Boro who invited a lot of Barrow pressure but the hosts never seemed to make anything of it. Day made two routine saves and the Boro defence rarely looked like cracking. Both full backs Eddie Anaclet and Scott Laird joined the attack whenever possible as Boro pushed to kill the game off. Substitute Anthony Thomas shot high and wide and the Barrow defence who always looked uncomfortable weren’t really tested.

Boro’s third decided the game and you felt there was no way back for Barrow which may just make their keeper Tim Deasy feel even worse. He made an easy catch before deciding to throw the ball out and made a complete hash of it. He then decided to take on Lawrie Wilson on the right wing with no luck before the ball ended up in the back of the net from all of 2 yards out!

Barrow midfielder Mark Boyd was lucky to stay on the pitch after he challenged Peter Vincenti. Boyd went over the ball and straight onto Vincenti’s ankle. The stretcher was called and several minutes later Vincenti was taken off. Right at the end of the game an ambulance did stop by the ground but hopefully that was just a precaution and it isn’t said to be as bad as first thought.

Overall a pleasing performance from Boro who played well throughout and finally got the first win to kick start the season. Roll on Tuesday!

Lopo

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Barrow up next

August 28, 2008 Leave a Comment

Stevenage make their longest trip of the season this weekend when they face newly promoted Barrow. The 542 mile round trip comes on the back of 5 poor results which has seen Boro take just 2 points. At the moment Graham Westley’s men are 23rd in the table with opponents Barrow in 3rd place after gaining 10 points from the opening 5 games. A month ago I thought that the two clubs would be in opposite positions, but the Bluebirds have carried on the momentium that saw them promoted through the Blue Square North Play-offs last season. Boro meanwhile are yet to kick into gear, although they began to show signs of improvement in the first half on Monday against Crawley.

The visitors will still be without midfield duo John Martin and David Bridges, so Peter Vincenti should make his second start of the season. Vincenti was the Man of the Match against Crawley and hopefully can continue where he left off on Monday. We have needed someone all season to be able to get forward and back from midfield and PV did just that. I think he will again partner Gary Mills in midfield who had his best game in a Boro shirt, in the same game, after a poor start to the season. Steve Morison will again lead the line, while I expect Callum Willock, if fit, will partner him up front. The only real decision should be whether to recall Eddie Anaclet to the team in place of either Lawrie Wilson or Mark Albrighton?

Barrow drew their last game away at York and have been impressive so far at Holker Street. They have beaten both Oxford and Mansfield at home, while also winning 4-3 away at Altrincham. Their only defeat was away to Cambridge where they went down 2-1. A player to watch will be Jason Walker, who joined the club after being released by Morecambe in 2007. Walker is the clubs topscorer so far with 3 goals, including the late winner on Saturday against Mansfield. Another dangerous player that Boro will have to look out for will be Mark Boyd. The ex Newcastle United trainee has football league experience with Port Vale and Carlisle before a spell in Scotland with Gretna FC. Boyd scored Barrow’s first goal back in the Conference and will be a tricky player that Boro will have to deal with.

If Boro can repeat their first half performance from Monday in Cumbria then that first win might not be that far away. Barrow are on form, but are beatable. I would like to see Westley stick with the same team and see if that continuity will help the performance. I expect they will be very physical, so maybe Michael Bostwick will be recalled to the team to help Boro cope with that threat. So far our away form has been very poor and has seen us conceed 9 goals in just 2 games. I have a feeling it will be the same again on Saturday.

Prediction: Barrow 3-0 Stevenage

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Lewis to return to Broadhall Way?

August 26, 2008 Leave a Comment

No not Junior Lewis, but Stuart Lewis could soon be back at Broadhall Way. Stevenage are apparently looking into the possibility of bringing him back in a loan deal. Gillingham manager Mark Stimson has made the former Tottenham and Barnet midfielder available on loan in order to get more first team football. Graham Westley mentioned in his interview with the official site on Monday that midfield was an area that could be looked at before the deadline as the club is unsure when John Martin and David Bridges will be able to return to full fitness. It’s also thought that the club were looking at Stuart Thurgood, but decided against a move for the thug from Essex.

If we do manage to bring in Lewis then it will be a very good signing for us. I don’t think we have replaced his energy in midfield since he left for Gillingham last January. He is very good technically and puts himself about a bit. In my opinion I think he could form a very good partnership with Michael Bostwick. Lewis is a box to box type of midfielder and if he played with Bostwick, who’s more defensive minded, then he would be allowed the freedom to create for the wide players or Morison up front.

Mitchell Cole is the only Boro player to be called up to the latest England C squad for the friendly against Bosnia. The game in Sarajevo is part of the preparation for the Italy game later in the year. The team consists of players who are 23 or under therefore Steve Morison and Ronnie Henry miss out, although it’s a surprise any of the Boro players would be considered at the moment on current form. It’s also believed that Michael Bostwick is on standby, just in case Anton Robinson or Jamie Stevens drop out.

Lastly here is an article from Soccerlens on Boro’s season so far.

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Boro improve, but are held at home

August 25, 2008 Leave a Comment

After Saturday’s shambles at Ebbsfleet, Stevenage improved to give their best performance of the season so far against Crawley today. Unfortunately though it wasn’t good enough for the three points after a mix up in the Boro box led to Glenn Wilson hammering in the equaliser, but the performance on the whole gives some hope going into a tough week which sees away trips to Barrow and Kettering. Chris Day, formerly of QPR and Millwall replaced Ashley Bayes in goal. Bayes was dropped after conceding 13 goals in his first 4 games. Steve Morison returned after suspension and was partnered up front by Calum Willock. Michael Bostwick was also dropped in favour of Peter Vincenti.

Boro began the game well and put the visitors under a lot of pressure for the first 15-20 minutes. Peter Vincenti started the game well. His physical presence made a big difference today and his ability to get into the box gave Boro another dimension going forward. Lawrie Wilson was also causing the Crawley backline problems from the wide right. The goal came after good play down the right which eventually led to a Steve Morison shot being parried to Mitchell Cole who finished well. Morison’s presence gave Boro a massive lift, although he did look a bit rusty today.

Stevenage though didn’t just settle for the one goal, they immediately looked to add another and Peter Vincenti had a goal disallowed for an alleged push on the goalkeeper. I think that Rayner just misjudged the flight of the ball and Boro were unlucky not to have had a second. Crawley began to get into the game as the half went on and forced Day into a few saves from distance. He looks like an accomplished shot stopper although he may not command his area that well. In my opinion he would be a better option than Bayes, who has made too many mistakes so far this season.

Crawley improved in the second half, but didn’t really create enough in the final third. Boro didn’t have the same energy which they seemed to have in the first half and also lacked going forward. Mitchell Cole had a good run midway through the half before he was halted by Glenn Wilson. Cole then went off injured and was replaced by Anthony Thomas. Although we didn’t look the same threat going forward, I thought we controlled the midfield better and defensively didn’t make many mistakes.

Crawley then brought on Lewis Killeen and Danny Forrest and they both began to cause Boro some problems on the flanks. Killeen had a great chance to level the score, but hit the bar after cutting in from the left hand side. It wasn’t long after that chance that they did equalise after a mix up in the Boro area led to right back Glenn Wilson smashing home from close range. A ball put into the box by Bulman was headed away by Laird to Glenn Wilson who scored. Day really should of dealt with it, but a lack of communication led to Laird getting in the way and heading the ball out instead. After the goal, Boro went more direct in hope of a winner, but an Anthony Thomas free-kick was the nearest they came and that ended up in Fairlands Valley Car Park!

To be fair, Crawley deserved a point after their second half performance where they restricted Boro to just long range efforts and could of scored on more than 2 occasions. Boro should get a bit more confidence from their performance today and if they can continue to play like they did in the first 20 minutes today in the next few games then I’m sure that first win won’t be far away.

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Woeful Boro hit for four at Ebbsfleet

August 24, 2008 4 Comments

That’s 3 defeats, 1 draw, 2 goals scored and 13 goals conceded in the first 4 games of the new season. Not the start that Phil Wallace was hoping for upon the return of Graham Westley. Also alarmingly the home defeat to Eastbourne now looks even worse as they have conceded 9 goals since their visit to Broadhall Way after being beat 6-3 at Oxford and 3-0 at home to Cambridge. Boro’s performance was terrible yesterday, one of the worst I have seen since I began watching them in 1994.

Westley had quite a few players missing yesterday with McMahon, Anaclet, Willock and Boylan all out either injured or ill. Steve Morison was also serving the last of his 3 game suspension. Mark Albrighton was recalled to the first team at right-back, but was not Captain. Lawrie Wilson played on the right of midfield after playing right back in the reserve game in midweek. With 3 strikers out, Anthony Thomas was partnered up front with Iyseden Christie with Jerome Anderson on the bench.

Ebbsfleet started the stronger and had a few attempts on goal before taking the lead after 20 minutes when Bayes punched a free-kick straight to Neil Barratt who shot home from the edge of the box. It was a good finish, but he really should of been marked at the original free-kick. Boro weren’t keeping possession enough and straight from the restart Cole ran into an Ebbsfleet player and lost the ball. Why they insist on using that tactic when they kick-off I don’t know, it has worked once and that was in pre-season! The team couldn’t seem to string 3 passes together and gradually began resorting to the long ball looking for Christie or Thomas to get in behind. Both Thomas and Christie had ineffective afternoons and were kept quiet by the impressive defence pairing of Charles and McCarthy.

Boro would have settled for being just 1-0 down at half time, but just before the break John Akinde deflected in a Craig Stone shot and doubled the Kent side’s lead. Akinde was a handful for Boro all afternoon. He could of had a hat-trick by the end of the game and looked a class above most of the other players on the pitch. Stacy Long was also impressing in the Ebbsfleet midfield. He was involved in most of their good attacking play. Boro began the second half better and had a good chance to get back into the game, but Luke Oliver headed wide from a corner. For someone so tall, Oliver is pretty awful in the air and a few minutes later he allowed a ball to bounce over him which nearly enabled Akinde to score a third for the hosts.

Ebbsfleet didn’t have to wait much longer for the third goal though. Akinde got into the box and was brought down by Ronnie Henry. The ref gave the penalty and Luke Moore calmly put the ball past Bayes and into the net for 3-0 and with still 20 minutes to play. Boro never looked like scoring and were consistantly playing the long ball up towards the front two who were never in the game. 5 minutes before the end, former Canvey Island striker Kezie Ibe added a fourth, tapping in from 3 yards. The worst performance from Boro for some time and Crawley up next tomorrow at BHW, who have just beat Torquay 3-1. It could be a long afternoon.

Another reminder that The Broadhall Way is out for tomorrow’s visit of Crawley Town. It will be on sale outside the ground and also available via subscription by emailing thebroadhallway@hotmail.com so if you can’t stomach watching another Boro performance you can still get the fanzine.

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Bank Holiday Weekend Preview

August 22, 2008 Leave a Comment

Stevenage have 2 games in 3 days as they plan to kick-start their 2008/2009 campaign, beginning with a trip around the M25 to Ebbsfleet United. The club from Kent beat Torquay in mid-week and after winning the FA Trophy last season, look an outsider for promotion this season. In the games between the two sides last season, Boro emerged victorious on both occasions winning 1-0 at Stonebridge Road thanks to a Craig Dobson goal and 3-1 at Broadhall Way with the goals coming from Tyrone Berry, Ashley Westwood and Steve Morison.

Tomorrow’s game will be a tough trip for Boro as Ebbsfleet look to build on a good win at Torquay. Luke Moore and John Akinde scored the goals at Plainmoor and could prove a handful for the Stevenage defence. New signing Michael Gash could also line up against the worst defence in the Blue Square Premier so far. Stacy Long is Ebbsfleet’s playmaker and will have a good battle against Michael Bostwick if Westley decides to play the former Ebbsfleet player in midfield. Boro’s record against the “Fleet” is fairly impressive with an unbeaten record at Broadhall Way.

I expect Graham Westley will make a few changes to the team that drew with Weymouth last weekend. There are injury doubts over John Martin, Anthony Thomas, Lee Boylan and David Bridges while Steve Morison misses his last game of his 3 match suspension. Mitchell Cole could return to the Boro squad after returning to training in the week. At the beginning of pre-season it looked like Boro had too many strikers, but just Iyseden Christie and Calum Willock could be available for selection tomorrow.

Prediction: Ebbsfleet 2-1 Boro

Arguably the easier of the two games is on Monday, at home to Crawley Town. Steve Evans’ side have begun the campaign on 0 points for a change and have won 1 of their first 3 games. There have been plenty of new faces at the Broadfield Stadium this summer with players such as Danny Forrest, Adam Quinn and Simon Weatherstone joining the club. Crawley face a difficult game against Torquay at home on Saturday before making the trip to Hertfordshire.

Boro will be hoping for a win on Saturday to give them confidence going into the Crawley game. It’s expected that John Martin and David Bridges will still be missing for the visit of Crawley. However, Steve Morison will be back for the game and hoping to get off the mark for the season after being sent off on the opening day at Wrexham. Realistically, Boro can get 6 points from the two games. They are both winnable games and if Boro can find their rhythm then these two fixtures are ideal to get some points on the board.

Prediction: Boro 2-1 Crawley

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