Boro manager says Stevenage deserved point against Tranmere

Gary Smith says Stevenage deserved their draw against Tranmere on Saturday, and added that Greg Tansey’s injury-time equaliser was no fluke.

Rovers boss Ronnie Moore said after the game that the midfielder’s 92nd minute looping strike from 20 yards was not intentional, but Smith disagrees, saying that his player practices those types of shots all the time in training.

“As a spectacle it must have been quite exciting. The conditions made it a quick game and both teams showed a lot of energy and a real desire to get themselves in front and create opportunities but there weren’t many,” Smith said.

“It wasn’t until the final stages that both sides started to tire a little bit that the game opened up.

“Their goal, I think we’re disappointed with, as it could have been defended better, but the equaliser was an absolute stunner from Greg.

“Robin [Shroot] hits the post, there are one or two phantom penalty shouts as well, but it was a very exciting end [to the game] and we’re disappointed not to get three points because we want it but it was a much better performance I felt from us.

“We’ve gone behind [at home] on a number of occasions and of course we’re not very pleased about that, but it was against a good side and we know they have a goal threat.

“Jake Cassidy has been prolific for them, and if there was one guy going to get it for them it was going to be him.

“They take the lead, it’s easy to buckle and to feel as though there’s no mileage left in the game, but Robin injected something into the game.

“He looked very bright and posed a different threat and it ended up being one of the more mainstay players in Greg Tansey that finds a fantastic finish.

“If you watch it again, he’s stumbling, he’s bumbling, he’s trying to find his feet and somehow manages to find the only spot in the far top corner that he could probably score and he’s making a habit of it.

“He practices an awful lot of that sort of whipped shot that doesn’t necessarily go straight as an arrow.

“It’s curling away from goalkeepers and over goalkeepers, but predominately it is curling and it makes life difficult. He gets good power and dip on it. If you watch the shot it’s almost like a free-kick.”