Football Season Review

Most of Stevenage fans dreamed about survival going into what was the Boro's first ever season in the third tier of English football, and probably not even the biggest optimists among them could predict the season that was going to unfold. The Boro established themselves as the "Stoke of League One"; they were consistent in playing their long ball football, applied a physical approach in their matches, and were a nightmare for the top teams when facing them, especially in front of their own fans. As a consequence, the Boro never looked in danger of going down, and the Play-Off dreams started to form when a superb run of results saw the side entering the top six in November. The club suffered a major blow in their hopes at the turn of the year, as Graham Westley had his head turned by Preston and left the club, but the club at least managed to fight off interest from the Lillywhites for some of their prized assets, including Mark Roberts and Michael Bostwick. The Boro had an up and down start under Westley's replacement Gary Smith, and they went through a bizarre run of results that saw them playing out nine draws in eleven games, as the Play-Off dream started to rapidly fade. The Boro caught the last train to reach the top six, as they ended their drought with a 6-0 away win at Yeovil with four games left to play, and the result proved decisive, as the Boro went on to collect ten points from their final four games and finish sixth, above seventh placed Notts County on goal difference. They gave a good account of themselves in the subsequent Play-Off semi final clash against Sheffield United, but were eventually edged out. Despite the Play-Off defeat, the fans will look back at the season with a sense of pride, but it will be difficult for the Boro to repeat the same results next season, especially when knowing that a number of players are under the radars of bigger clubs, and Smith is now facing an uphill battle to keep the core of his squad together over the summer.

Player of the Season: Michael Bostwick