It was a moment of ill-discipline that cost Stevenage a point at Derby County says manager Steve Evans.

Boro had been closing in on a deserved draw at Pride Park and frustrating the promotion chasers.

But with the clock showing 90 minutes, Derby were able to send a long ball forward and the cross from the right was turned in at the near post by Louie Sibley, turning a 0-0 draw into a 1-0 home win.

Evans says that all stemmed from Aaron Pressley not following the instructions.

The boss said: "I think Paul Warne was thinking it would be a point. I think they'd run out of ideas and if we keep our shape and our discipline, we don't concede. 

"One person, for one reason probably only known to him, has run off what he was instructed to do. 

"And it's fair to say if you do that consistently, you’ll not be playing in the team. Everyone has clear instructions. 

"It's hard to take. I think the draw is probably the right result. There were limited chances in both boxes.

"The goal has just come from Aaron Pressley losing his shape defensively. I know he’s an attacker but we have a plan and he switches off. 

"Two passes later it is in our net. 

"[Nathaniel] Mendez-Laing is always going to get away from defenders at times.  

"But at the top end of the pitch, the goalkeeper rolls it out to left sided centre-back and one of our strikers runs off Korey Smith, the midfield player, and he just releases him. 

"He hits a 70-yard pass into the channel and that's a problem for any team, especially at this level.  

"If he just held his shape, which he was instructed to do, we don't concede the goal."

Evans feels that, similar to last year, Boro are not getting the luck that their performances deserve.

However, they are still seventh and only three points behind Peterborough United and Oxford United, the pair sitting in the play-off places.

And there is still 14 games to go.

Evans said: "We must have run over a black cat but we’ll regroup, and we’re still the team that nobody thinks has any consideration of being in there. 

"But I think the comfort that Paul Warne will have going to sleep tonight will not be the fact they got the three points, his comfort will be knowing we have all his rivals to play. 

"That's where his comfort will come from, he’ll sleep like a baby thinking Stevenage are a game for anyone. 

"And we are a game for anyone. 

"I feel sorry for my players because it is one minute of ill-discipline in a football matter and it’s cost us. 

"We’re outperforming our expectations every week but we're going to continue to try. 

"And if you look around at the other results, we’re still bang in it and have a game to jump back in [to the play-off places].

"Our season was never going to be defined coming to Pride Park. 

"We've got to get our season back on track next week but we’ll put some good work into the boys on the training ground."