We preview Saturday's game...
Accrington Stanley
Sky Bet League 2
Saturday 18th October
The Lamex Stadium, Stevenage
Kick-off: 3pm
Ticket news:
Tickets are available online and in the club shop up until 5pm on Friday (17/10/2014). Tickets are cheaper in advance of matchday so save yourself a few quid and get them early!
Also, to be in with a chance of winning a FREE COPY OF FIFA 15, buy a ticket for the game against Accrington ONLINE before 5pm on Friday!
Team news:
Sam Beasant is likely to return to the squad on Saturday, although it’s believed that all of the other injured players will miss out once again.
Earlier this afternoon we announced the signings of Jack Jebb and David Mcallister from Arsenal and Shrewsbury respectively. Both will be eligible to play at the weekend and you can catch up on the full story HERE.
View from the dressing room:
Watch full coverage of the press conference by signing into Boro Player.
Last season…
Accrington Stanley survived comfortably in League 2 last season, a finish that the whole club would have taken at the start of the campaign. Unlike most teams in the Football League, Stanley had a stronger away record than at home, winning eight games on the road whilst only winning six at the Crown Ground.
So far this season…
It’s been an eventful start to the season for Accrington both on and off the pitch. The team got off to a poor start to the season and were sitting bottom of the table three games in when thieves targeted their stadium and stole equipment from the players and the club!
Despite this set-back Stanley were able to begin climbing the league but manager James Beattie left the club six games into the season, leaving the clubs future up-in-the-air.
John Coleman returned for his second spell as manager and he’s guided the team to three wins out four, including an incredible 5-4 win at Northampton.
Last time we met…
The last time we played Accrington, Boro confirmed their place in the 2011 League 2 Play-off Final after a 1-0 away win in the semi-final second leg.
Stevenage set themselves up wonderfully for the away tie as goals from Stacey Long and Joel Byrom at the Lamex put Boro in total control as they arrived in Accrington with a 2-0 lead.
At the Crown Ground, Accrington self-destructed as they had two men sent off within as many minutes during the second half and substitute Chris Beardsley sealed the tie with a goal in the last minute to send Boro to Old Trafford!
You can re-live that famous day here in the Boro Player archive.
Head to Head:
Boro have played Accrington 10 times previously, winning 5, drawing 2 and losing 3. Boro’s biggest win came in 2004, as a Jason Goodliffe double helped Stevenage towards a 5-0 win. In the following meeting between the two sides, Boro suffered a 4-1 defeat as Accrington got their revenge.
Betting with SkyBet:
Official league sponsors, Sky Bet have Boro priced at 11/10 favourites on Saturday – meaning a £10 bet would net you £21 in return.
Boro to win 1-0 is 7/1, whilst a 2-0 win is 9/1.
Chris Beardsley is the favourite to net the first goal at 5/1, whilst Whelpdale is 8/1 and Tom Pett is 10/1.
Not going to the game?
Listen to live match commentary on the Boro Player service where you'll also find full match highlights and full post-match interviews on Saturday. We'll also be providing live minute-by-minute updates on our Twitter account, with the key incidents reported live on our Facebook page. The best match day photos will be posted on the club's Instagram account Short highlights of the game will be on our YouTube page on Sunday afternoon, whilst extended highlights will be available on Boro Player.