The 2-2 draw at Stanley sets Boro up for this weekend as a win will guarantee their play-off place

Stevenage host Carlisle United this weekend knowing that a win will guarantee them a play-off place, writes Damion Roberts.

Boro had to rely on an 88th minute equaliser by Chris Beardsley to draw 2-2 at Accrington Stanley on Saturday after their hosts had Nicky Hunt sent off after just two minutes.

It is now just one defeat in 15 matches for Graham Westley’s men, a run of form that has seen them catapulted into the play-off places.

Goalkeeper Chris Day, pictured, says that although the players were disappointed not to have won at Accrington, they may in future look back on the draw as a good point.

“It would have been great to have gone on and have won the game, but you know we’ve gone through 101 different things and we haven’t even discussed that it keeps our run going,” said Day.

“Ultimately we might look back in a few games and think that it was a good point.

“[This weekend] it sets us up, and we know what we need to do regardless of other results.

“There’s probably a point in the season where you’d maybe take the draw on the road and win your home games. That’s what is up for us this week.

“[Accrington] put in a man-and-a-half shift and they worked very hard.

“We probably didn’t make the most of the one-man advantage.

“We certainly had more to lose than they did, and maybe you could see that at times.”

Boro head into this weekend’s game sixth in the table, four points clear of Plymouth Argyle, who are in seventh, and Luton Town, who are just outside the play-off places.

The Pilgrims host basement side Tranmere Rovers on Saturday just days after Rovers parted company with their manager, Micky Adams.

Luton travel to a buoyant Southend United side who beat Bury on Tuesday to leapfrog them to fourth in the table.