Sickness could not stop Stevenage from taking another step towards promotion to League One - as they beat Doncaster Rovers at home.

The 1-0 success at the Lamex saw Boro stay third in the table with four games remaining, extending their advantage over the chasing pack to four points.

What stood out was the work rate and endeavour of the team, chasing every ball and every seemingly lost cause.

But manager Steve Evans revealed afterwards that the camp had been hit by a virus since the weekend, making the efforts doubly impressive.

"That’s a massive result," he said. "We've let ourselves down on a few occasions this season but this was our 54th game with a squad of 20, 21 players and they're still running with that energy.

"It speaks volumes for the work that we did in pre-season. People thought we went to Jersey to see the chairman’s magnificent home. 

"We didn’t. We went to Jersey to do some really hard work and it carried on at our training ground. 

"We've got a great, fit group and the testament is how ill some of them are. They're down one, two, two and a half kilos overnight because they're not well. 

"We said to them we were just going to have to name it as planned and ask players to go and have a big performance. 

"Sometimes it's taken for granted that teams turn up and work hard but I've always said that the teams who always seem to be working the hardest are the great teams. 

"We just need to work harder. 

"We need a little break now for the weekend to hopefully get rid of the little bug that's been in the camp since the weekend. 

"We were one short on the bench but that’s what it is and we're going to need all the boys that we've got to stand up now for the next three weeks."

Jordan Roberts scored the only goal of the game on 11 minutes and a dominant first period seemed to suggest just a massive victory for the home side.

That didn't happen though and while it was never truly nervy, the missing second goal didn't make it totally comfortable either. 

"If anything, scoring early probably brought a little bit of complacency into our play," said Evans.

"We should probably score twice in the first five minutes but Jordan sticks it in and then I think we just lacked that second goal. 

"We bounced around their box but we never had enough care with that final little pass and that left it 1-0 at half-time.

"Second half we had to dig in a little bit but their goalkeeper from my memory has [barely had] a save to make.

"Some big players managed that game for us and it and it took all of us to get it over the line." 

The two wins in quick succession, the first being the 2-1 success at home to AFC Wimbledon, have transformed the mood around the Lamex, the roar at the final whistle proof of that.

And the significance of the victories, and the games themselves, was not lost on the Boro boss, even if he is not getting ahead of his self.

He said: "When we went up to the likes of Hartlepool and Carlisle and these places, I thought it was essential that we came back down the road and ready for these back-to-back home games still competing for a chance of promotion. 

"We've done that but you know and I know that the table could turn upside down on Saturday.

"We can't look at [what others do]. We just have to get focused to go to Mansfield. 

"We’ll see what we’ve got and re-energise the group.  

"We've asked boys to play who reported ill but they’ve gone out and they've played so it is important from out point of view that we get them home and get them resting and see who we've got available as we get towards the weekend."