We preview Tuesday night's match away at Portsmouth…
Sky Bet League 2
Tuesday 21st October
Fratton Park, Frogmore Road, Portsmouth, Southsea, PO4 8RF
Kick-off: 19:45
Ticket news:
Tickets are available from the Portsmouth ticket office on Frogmore Road on the day of the game; they don’t have any cash turnstiles so make sure you get yours before kick-off!
Prices are as follows:
£20 - Adult
£15 - Senior (60+), Young Person (17-22)
£10 - Unaccompanied Junior (U17)
£5 - Accompanied juniors (U17) with a paying adult / senior
Team news:
The biggest bit of team news which concerns Tuesday's game is that Jerome Okimo may make his first start since September 6th (York), after successfully recovering from a hamstring injury within the last week. Okimo was back on the bench on Saturday against Accrington, so may be back into the starting line-up come tomorrow evening.
Last season…
Portsmouth had to adjust to life in the fourth tier for the first time since 1979-1980 after the clubs acrimonious relegation the previous year. Despite high expectations from the fans, Pompey had to settle for a mid-table finish. At no point throughout the season did they look like could either challenge at the top, nor struggle at the bottom; a season of welcome calm after the rollercoaster of the last few years.
The story so far…
Currently without a win in five games, Portsmouth aren’t exactly firing on all cylinders. Too many draws and not enough goals means our opponents are on the same number of points as Boro going into the game. Jed Wallace is once again the club's top scorer this season with 3 league goals, which rather highlights Pompey’s lack of goals this season. 11 in 13 is one of the lowest totals in the league although conversely, their defence is one of the meanest in the division which has kept them in games and picking up points.
Recent form:
Familiar faces…
Pompey have three former Boro players in their squad these days. James Dunne, Patrick Agyemang and Ben Chorley all now ply their trade on the south coast.
Last time we met…
It was only last season when the two sides last met, as Boro progressed to the second round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win at the Lamex. Francois Zoko scored two first half goals to put Stevenage in-charge although a late rally from Pompey made it an uncomfortable finish to the game. After David Connolly pegged a goal back, Boro were made to hold-on as Portsmouth hammered the goal with crosses and chances.
Betting with SkyBet:
Stevenage are underdogs going into the game, 12/5 which means a £10 bet would return you with £34 should Boro do the business.
The stats point towards a tight encounter with perhaps just the one goal separating the sides, a 1-0 Boro win is 8/1 whilst for Boro to win to nil, you can get 9/2.
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 Wednesday. 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 whilst short highlights of the game will be on our YouTube page on Wednesday, whilst extended highlights will be available on Boro Player.