Stevenage fan and BBC 3CR co-commentator Dean Thompson on Boro’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers
We’re back on the road, and it seems like our second home has been the M1 and M6 lately, but after varying success at Walsall and Crewe we achieved a hard fought home win against Crawley that sets us up nicely with four wins out of five ahead of what, on paper, looks a decent Wolves side.
They’ve won 10 out of 13 in the league only losing once, at home, to Walsall. They’ve scored 14 and only conceded five at home and they are top of the last six form league and the only side to be undefeated in their last six matches.
So it’s going to be a tough ask if the other team’s form is anything to go by but a traditional Graham Westley side usually climbs the table in the second part of the season so they have to go to clubs in the promotion zone to beat them and aim to take their place in the zone.
We’ve seen it in the Conference and we’ve seen it in League 2: after the Newcastle FA Cup tie, the form just went on and on and I have a funny feeling we’ll be seeing it again this season.
But are sides going to Wolves in awe of a once great club, a big ground and large support? Only Gillingham have been hammered there. The others have been beaten by the odd goal or two.
They let themselves be attacked, and the point GW was making this week is that in the first 75 minutes vs the last 15 minutes makes sense, well, to me!
Are teams realising that in the final periods of the game Wolves aren’t that good?
By then it’s too late... Do you think any GW side is going to roll over and be savaged by Wolves?!
For Stevenage, things seem to be coming together. Things are clicking with the players.
For example, we would have conceded at 1-0 against Crawley a few weeks ago… or even lost the game.
We haven’t conceded a goal for 220 minutes of football! Who’d have predicted that? Particularly after the way the team rolled over against Preston some weeks ago.
What’s changed since then? Does it all stem from the introduction of Luke Jones into the middle of the defence? It’s no coincidence to me, and a ‘proper’ defender in Hartley going to left back and this is no disrespect to Roarie Deacon who played there and was decent.
Both are leaders on the pitch too, which really must help Ash.
In the midfield will we see any changes? Will James Dunne force his way back in? I think Michael Doughty and Simon Heslop is the best partnership at the moment and we should stick with that, but with Greg Tansey on the right doing a decent job and Luke Freeman, Filipe Morais and Francois Zoko making up the rest of the 11, would you change that? I wouldn’t. It’s strong, it’s got pace and it’s got goals in it.
I don’t think Wolves will like coming up against this Stevenage side, full of a winning mentality and full of confidence.
Dean Thompson is a regular co-commentator alongside Steve Watkins at Stevenage games on BBC 3CR (95.5fm, 103.8, 104.5 and Local DAB).
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