Stevenage manager looking for first home league win of the season tonight

Gary Smith says he expects a similar test this evening (Tuesday) against Walsall to the one his side faced on Saturday in Stevenage’s draw with Crewe.

Boro came from behind to draw 2-2 against Crewe side which like to keep the ball on the ground before exploiting weaknesses in their opponent’s team.

That draw saw Stevenage maintain their unbeaten league run, but they have still to win at home in the league this season (three home draws, three away wins) and Smith hopes that is something that will change tonight.

“If we’d have won our home games and drawn our away games everybody would have been saying ‘terrific start’.

“Certainly we want to get off the mark with a home win sooner rather than later [and have] another opportunity very quickly to do that.

“Walsall have had a good result against Portsmouth and I’ve seen them play, they’ll be no easy touch by any stretch.

“But I’m hoping the guys will have finished with a little bit more confidence than they started [against Crewe] and they’ll take that into Tuesday’s game.

“[Walsall are] a pretty young side, but very talented and they’ve had one or two very good results so they’ll be full of confidence. They’ve lost one or two players but I think in the main they’re a similar squad [to last season] and they’ve got a good shape and a good understanding.

“They’ll be very similar (to Crewe). They’re a good team with lots of emphasis put on possession and we’ll be ready for them.”

Robin Shroot will be pushing for a starting position after Boro’s top scorer scored his fourth of the season on Saturday, but Dani Lopez, who made his debut from the bench at the weekend, is expected to remain on the sidelines.