Aldershot Town 4 Stevenage Boro 0 MARK VENABLES reports After the euphoria of Saturday s first victory of the season, it was down to earth with a serious bump on Tuesday evening as Stevenage Boro found the tables turned against an impressive Aldershot Tow

Aldershot Town 4 Stevenage Boro 0

MARK VENABLES reports

After the euphoria of Saturday's first victory of the season, it was down to earth with a serious bump on Tuesday evening as Stevenage Boro found the tables turned against an impressive Aldershot Town.

Boro appeared to have weathered an early onslaught but two goals late in the first half and Adam Miller's red card soon after the break put the game well beyond their reach.

Although hardly a turning point, already two goals adrift, the harsh sending off of Miller did curtail any aspirations that Stevenage harboured of regaining a foothold in proceedings.

Miller's offence was an alleged elbow on Ryan Scott as the pair challenged for a ball on the halfway line.

True, Miller led with his arm but it was not swung at Scott.

Spurred on by Scott's reaction and the baying crowd, referee John Hopkins sent him from the field.

"Unfortunately for us we have come out in the second half, got a very poor sending off and you are then up against it even more, and against a team like Aldershot on this showing they were always going to go on and punish us," said manager Mark Stimson.

"We came into the game with loads of confidence because it was a fantastic performance on Saturday but from the first minute we were tested by far the best team that we have faced this season."

The alarm bells were ringing as early as the first five minutes when Ryan Williams and John Grant both sent shots crashing against the woodwork.

George Boyd offered some respite when he sent in a dipping volley that rattled the Aldershot bar but the home side were soon back on the attack.

Louis Soares was the third Aldershot player to strike the woodwork before the home side were handed a glorious chance to open their account when Jason Goodliffe tripped Joel Grant in the area.

This time it was Alan Julian who denied Aldershot with a fantastic double save from Darren Barnard's penalty.

But Boro's luck could not last forever and two goals in two minutes in added time at the end of the half gave Aldershot the breakthrough their play had deserved.

Joel Grant hit a low shot that appeared to take a couple of deflections before nestling in the net before his strike partner, John Grant, doubled the advantage, unmarked to guide a header past Julian.

There was to be no repeat of Aldershot's first-half dominance and the 10 men of Boro fought valiantly to regain a foothold in proceedings.

A Steve Morison effort that curled wide of the post and a Boyd effort that was equally close the other side of the goal, came close to halving the deficit.

But in the end Aldershot were able to make the extra man count as Boro's endeavours began to take toil.

Soares made it three with a virtuoso effort that left the entire Boro defence in his wake, before Joel Grant claimed his second after more good approach work from Soares.