Three pieces of poor defending cost Stevenage as Salford City left Hertfordshire with three valuable points.

All the goals in the 3-1 win came in the second half with Stevie Mallan, Callum Hendry and Matt Smith gifted their opportunities.

Smith's strike came seconds after Luke Norris had pulled one back and the stunned home crowd were given hope with the addition of 12 added minutes.

Steve Evans had said in the build up that there would be bad results and good ones in the final 10 games.

This might class as the former but with other results going their way, Boro remain in the top three.

The Boro boss had one change forced on him from the side that drew at Carlisle.

Jordan Roberts was declared fit again and came in for Josh March who limped out late on against the Cumbrians.

There were two returns among the substitutes though, Dean Campbell and Daryl Horgan coming in for Terence Vancooten and Jonathan Tomkinson.

Both the previous home games for Boro, against Walsall and Crewe, say a fast start from the home side. This was no difference.

Just 27 seconds were on the clock when Luke Norris headed over from a Roberts cross. He had fought off the defender but that meant he wasn't ready properly to put the ball on target.

The striker had another chance two minutes later when Carl Piergianni nodded a corner down to him.

However, he could only get his knee on it and it bounced over.

Stevenage continued to create chances for the remainder of the half although while they forced Alex Cairns into saves, they never extended the keeper fully.

Norris, Jamie Reid and Jake Reeves all had efforts but they were all pretty much straight at the Salford man.

That did change as the clock moved towards stoppage time, with Cairns making a superb one-handed stop to deny Dan Sweeney who met a Kane Smith free-kick six yards out.

Salford did have chances on the break, Luke Bolton often their biggest threat.

One run down the right was hit low across the face of goal but just in front of Callum Hendry who was coming in on it.

Talk at half-time in the home dressing room would have been for more of the same. They would have also been told in no uncertain terms that Salford had the ability to pose a much bigger problem in the second period.

Boro goalkeeper Jon McCracken was certainly busy in the opening minutes of the half, although not from saving shots.

A clash with Hendry saw the keeper go down but the Salford man only spoken to.

Moments later a genuine bang on the head was sustained by the Scot but as play went on, Salford were only denied by a superb goal-line clearance from Smith.

The keeper was able to get up but only after a six-minute delay and with a bandage around his head.

Another big moment followed almost immediately as Norris and Vassell tumbled to the floor, with the Boro man closing in on goal.

It appeared as if would be the Salford man about to see a card but the referee pointed the other way and booked the Stevenage striker.

Worse was to come too for the home side.

There will have been genuine complaints over the award of a free-kick on the right edge of the penalty area, a decision given by the linesman, but the only complaints after that will be about the state of the defending.

Elliot Watt pulled it back to the edge of the box where Mallan was in an unfathomable amount of space and he simply guided the shot, side-footed, into the corner.

McCracken had to make another good diving save to deny Bolton and while Stevenage did have pressure, a series of corners couldn't find an equaliser.

Salford then threw a security blanket on the contest by grabbing a second.

Cairns was booked for time wasting but when he did play the ball, his long clearance flew down the pitch and wasn't dealt with by the Boro defence, allowing Hendry time to run in and slot it to the right of McCracken

There was plenty of moaning about the Salford tactics of slowing the game down but when the board went up to show added time of 12, there was a sudden surge of excitement.

That had been helped by the fact Norris had scored just seconds before but all hopes of a comeback were ripped away by Matt Smith tapping home seconds after coming on from another poor bit of home defending, completely static after a quick throw.

 

Stevenage: McCracken, Clark, Reeves, Piergianni, Sweeney, Taylor (Forster-Caskey 73), Norris, Roberts, K.Smith (Rose 90+1), Gilbey (Horgan 83), Jamie Reid.

Subs (not used): Przybek, James-Wildin, Campbell, Bostwick.

Goal: Norris 90

Booked: Norris 58

 

Salford City: Cairns, Lowe, Watt, Lund (Shephard 71), Hendry (M.Smith 90+1), Mallan, McAleny (Barry 85), Bolton, Leak, McLoughlin, Vassell.

Subs (not used): Bellagambi, Galbraith, Jenkins, Morton.

Goals: Mallen 65, Hendry 80, M.Smith 90+2

Booked: Leak 42, Cairns 80

 

HT: Stevenage 0 Salford City 0

Referee: Darren Drysdale (Lincolnshire)

Attendance: 3,749 (including 120 from Salford)