Stevenage FC manager Darren Sarll is expecting a physical encounter when his side travel to Cheltenham Town on Saturday.

Boro are currently unbeaten in Sky Bet League Two while their opponents this weekend currently sit in the relegation zone with just one win, but Sarll believes it will another tough away game for his side.

He told the Comet: “From a manager’s point of view you try and make every game tough for the opposition.

“Motivation for both teams should be high as we should be encouraged by what we’ve done thus far and Cheltenham will be motivated because they know they’ll have to dig in and try to get points on the board.

“I think it will be a real competitive game, a lot of confrontation with desire and aggression shown.

“We will always try and bring those things but I want us to get the ball down and play as well.”

Stevenage battled to pick up three points away from home last weekend as they beat local rivals Barnet 1-0, despite playing 55 minutes with 10 men following Dale Gorman’s red card.

Sarll is hoping his team will show that same resilience against Cheltenham while also praising his opposite number, Gary Johnson.

“It’s another one of those teams that are managed by someone who I have massive respect for,” said Sarll.

“Sometimes you can dismiss a team but by understanding the manager you can understand the team and the way they play.

“For me, Gary Johnson has had the biggest prize of all and that’s longevity. That’s such an accolade to have as being a manager is such a fragile position.

“You know they are going to very resilient, very robust, you look at their summer recruitment and there’s a lot of physicality in there.

“You’ve got to give them that respect, research it and try to find that flaw in them.

“We must bring the commitment and desire that was very evident against Barnet. We must keep that going as it’s the core foundation to our start.

“If it’s not there we won’t take anything from the game so it’s important and we need to show it consistently.”