Stevenage produced a stunning performance to not only hand Luton Town a first defeat in the Eastern Region Women’s Football League Premier Division - but send them top of the tree above the Hatters.

Luton had won seven and drawn one of their opening eight games but they were undone by a goal two minutes into injury time from Stevenage's Victoria Neal, giving the Boro ladies a 2-1 success.

It means Stevenage are now a point clear of their Bedfordshire rivals although they have played three games more.

That was not something that captain Lucy Webster was even remotely interested in.

She said: "This just showed our standards and nothing is better than beating the team at the top of the table in the last minute of the game."

Manage Fadi Mazloum was in agreement, adding: "It feels good. You could see the fight and determination from the girls. I always felt we were in it.

"That’s the standard, week in, week out."

 

The first half at the County Ground in Letchworth was a cagey affair although the home side had a glorious opportunity to go in at the break in front.

Webster strode through the middle of the park before her run was ended by a foul inside the box.

Jodie Bellinger, making her 40th career appearance for the club, took over responsibility for the spot-kick in the absence of Amy Makewell.

However, her effort was stopped by Angelica Kopec in the Luton goal.

There was one more big chance for Boro before half-time but Shianne Swarres' free-kick bounced off the crossbar and was cleared to safety by the Luton defence.

Stevenage hit the bar almost immediately after the resumption too, Nicole Farmer this time denied by the woodwork, but at the other end, the hosts were grateful for Neal's goal-line clearance preventing Elizabeth Sanders from scoring for Luton.

The reprieve lasted barely two minutes though as Leyah Maddix scored her ninth goal of the season, latching on to a ball from Andie Dickens.

Stevenage continued to dig in though and they got their equaliser not long after.

A free-kick from Webster was pushed onto the post by Kopec but looked to be rolling back to the keeper.

Instead though it took a deflection from Tanya Blacksley and rolled into her own net.

The irony was that Blacksley had made 69 appearances for Stevenage in her career but had never scored.

From there the two team went hammer and tong at each other, slugging away to see who would finish on top of the mountain.

Becky Shephard was starting to find space and she set-up Amy Gooderham for a chance that Kopec was equal to.

But as the clock ticked into stoppage time, Boro earned a corner.

Shephard took the set-piece and delivered it perfectly for Neal to attack the far post and send a vicious header into the back of the net.

 

Stevenage: Oldroyd, Farmer, Webster, Neal, Re, Price, Bodily, Greenwood, Schofield, Millen, Bellinger.

Subs: Shephard, Makewell, Swarres, Gooderham, White.

Goals: Blacksley (og), Neal 90+2

 

Luton Town: Kopec, Taylor, Wade, Blacksley, Major, McKay, Palmiero, Constable, Dickens, Sanders, Maddix.

Subs: Payne, Lewis, Hussain, Milton, Wilson.

Goal: Maddix

Booked: Major, McKay, Maddix