Match report: Stevenage 0 Nottingham Forest 3

Stevenage head to Spain this weekend looking to step up their preparations for the new season following the defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Teddy Sheringham and his men will spend five days in southern Spain at a training camp before returning to the Lamex ahead of next weekend when they will hope to up their game against Millwall.

Forest dominated a first half with good, attacking football and runners getting in behind the Boro defence especially down the right, but a more structured, organised start to the second half by the hosts was then disrupted by the usual flurry of pre-season substitutions.

Boro gave a start to new signing Fraser Franks, who joined earlier in the day, while the standout performer for the hosts was Dipo Akinyemi.

The young striker, a product of the club’s academy, scored twice midweek as a young side beat St Neots 2-0 and was given a further chance to impress by his manager against Forest.

He had the chance to add to his two goals from Tuesday in the first half with a lob that Dorus De Vries held on the line, but he was also guilty of giving away a penalty with a sliding tackle that took more man than ball.

Forest were already 1-0 up at the time of the spot kick courtesy of Matt Mills’ scooped shot into the far corner, and when Akinyemi committed his foul up stepped Henri Lansbury to send Chris Day the wrong way for 2-0.

Brett Williams also went close for Boro in the first half when he headed over, while in the second period Forest had another shout for a penalty. The shot from distance struck the arms of Franks, but the defender had them tucked into towards his chest and so the referee waved away the appeals.

Not long afterwards Stevenage trialist Shaun Miller forced De Vries into pushing his shot over the bar, but there was only one more goal and it went the way of Forest for whom Jack Hobbs struck from close range.

Stevenage: Day (Trialist 1 68), Henry (Gorman (66), Okimo (Yamfam 79), McAllister (Conlon 66), Franks (Johnson 56), Hughes (Smyth 72), Pett (Sweeney 78), Parrett (Kerr 73), Williams (Trialist 2 66), Lee (Casey 66), Akinyemi (Trialist 3).

Nottingham Forest: De Vries, Lichaj, Mancienne (McLaughlin 89), Hobbs, Mills (Vaughan 73), Tesche, (Osborne 83) Lansbury (Grant 87), Fox (Reira 89), Antonio (Paterson 50), Maynard (Taylor 79), Ward (Burke 66). Subs: Evitmov.