THERE IS a little, cautious buzz in Stevenage at the moment; in January the club pulled off a momentous FA Cup giant-kill when they won 2-1 at Premier League Aston Villa and there is genuine hope the club can win promotion back to League One this season. They lost to Stoke City in round four, but even in defeat they had already added to the club’s impressive record in the competition.
There is certainly an air of expectation that is building by the week, mainly because before facing Bradford City, they had gone 12 games without defeat in League Two and had conceded just four goals in that time. They had lost just just three league games, at Salford (0-1), at Bradford (0-3) and at home to Northampton Town (2-3). Their previous home game had seen them beat league leaders Leyton Orient 3-0 in front of almost 7,000 people at their neat and functional Lamex Stadium. They followed that with a featureless 0-0 draw at Sutton United, old rivals from their non-league days.
Stevenage’s manager Steve Evans, is an intriguing character who cut his teeth in the United Counties League with Stamford, among other employers. He resembles a very rotund Tommy Docherty who like Evans, was a Glasgwegian and had a lengthy CV of clubs, and you cannot fault his enthusiasm or passion. Bradford City, who brought a healthy contingent of fans to the Lamex, are managed by former Manchester United striker and managerial journeyman Mark Hughes.
Bradford City were chasing a play-off spot, so the game at Stevenage was vital for maintaining their interest in the top seven. They are the best supported team in League Two with an average crowd of 17,400 which is higher than two teams in the Premier League (Brentford and Bournemouth) and half of the Championship.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | gd | ||
| 1 | Leyton Orient | 31 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 40 | 18 | 64 | +22 |
| 2 | Stevenage | 28 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 41 | 21 | 56 | +20 |
| 3 | Carlisle United | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 48 | 28 | 52 | +20 |
| 4 | Northampton | 29 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 43 | 29 | 51 | +14 |
Stevenage took the lead after 26 minutes with a header from former Oldham Athletic defender Carl Piergianni from a Jake Forster-Caskey corner. They remained comfortable until the early second half when Matt Derbyshire, recently signed from Indian club North East United, sent a fierce shot in off the crossbar past Icelandic keeper Jökull Andrésson, who joined Stevenage on loan from Coventry City in the same transfer window.
There was a shock for the home fans in the 56th minute when Dan Sweeney pulled Matt Platt’s shirt and the referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Andy Cook netted to put Bradford 2-1 ahead, enjoying the moment by teasing the home fans with cupped hands to his ears after receiving some abuse earlier from the locals.
Bradford keeper Harry Lewis had to be at his best to stop the home team from taking control and on one occasion, he dragged a header from Josh March away from the net, sparking off protests that the ball had cross the line. It looked as though it was the right decision, but try telling the Stevenage faithful who were left calling for VAR at League Two level!
But they were soon level from another corner, this time Sweeney making amends for the penalty when he met another Forster-Caskey corner with a typically firm header.
Four minutes from time, Bradford scored again, Jamie Walker shooting wide of Andrésson after Cook had flicked the ball on. The celebrations were interrupted by a fan who ran on to try and get to the centre forward. Stevenage still had chances to level up, notably when Lewis touched a Luke Norris header onto the crossbar, but the home side couldn’t muster up an equaliser, despite a lengthy period of added time.
It was hard lines for Stevenage to lose the game at the death, very similar to their other home defeat against Northampton in October. Perhaps they have tampered with their team too much – four relatively new faces were used against Bradford and they may take a little time to settle. They shouldn’t dwell too much, though, they are still in a very good position and they have games in hand. But with three away trips in the next four games, the next few weeks will be vital. And, importantly, the new town still believes – there were 5,000 people at the Lamex for this riveting contest.
GAME OF THE PEOPLE 
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