Luton v Stevenage: Boro’s late lapses

Sarll’s side must be strong in the latter stages – bbc.co.uk

Although seventh place Stevenage have had a good start to the season, they might also feel a sense of missed opportunity.

Having led in 10 of their 12 games, the Boro have dropped nine points in the second halves of matches. They tend to camp in their own box when they have something to protect late on in games and perhaps that has done more harm than good: only five teams have conceded more than their five in the final 15 minutes.

That trend looks even more problematic when they face comeback kings Luton. The Hatters have picked up seven points from losing positions, four of which having come from the 85th minute onwards. They were 2-0 down at Mansfield in August before late strikes salvaged them a point, then trailed up until the 90th minute at Wycombe before coming away with a victory.

Away from home, they have often relied on goalkeeper Marek Stech to keep them in games and then they have shown depth as well as spirit to snatch points late on. At home they have been more dominant, winning five of their six games and scoring 17.

They have two in-form strikers in James Collins, their top scorer with seven goals and Danny Hylton, who has scored four goals in his last four games. The duo have formed an excellent partnership and are hard for defences to keep quiet – as soon as one of them picks the ball up the other is instantly finding space in dangerous areas.

Collins and Hylton will be a handful for Stevenage’s centre-backs, Luke Wilkinson and Fraser Franks, who could have a tough afternoon at their old stomping ground. They will need strong protection from fellow ex-Hatters, right-back Ronnie Henry and holding midfielder Jonathan Smith, to keep their rivals at bay.

At the other end, Danny Newton has started the season with six goals already and might feel unlucky not to have completed 90 minutes more than twice since August. His partner, Matt Godden, is equally hardworking, even if he is yet to rediscover the prolific goalscoring form he showed in his debut season at the Lamex, missing a penalty at Crewe on Saturday.

Had he scored at Gresty Road though – and had Darren Sarll’s side not lost to a 96th minute goal – they would have been fortunate. It was a poor performance, not helped by the absence of wide men Tom Pett and Ben Kennedy. The former could feature after a recent knock while the latter returns after a successful performance for Northern Ireland Under-21s.

Stevenage will be boosted by Kennedy’s return, but this is the first time they have faced a fellow top seven side this season. They must prove that they can still raise their game against the better teams – as they did last season – and hold onto wins when they fall within their grasp.

The Football Lab’s Verdict: 2-2