Stevenage FC

Gary Smith spoke to Boro Player this week looking ahead to the match against top of the table Tranmere Rovers at the Lamex and he explained how he aims to turn around his team’s home form.

He firstly spoke of his satisfaction of gaining a well-earned point away to Bournemouth on Tuesday which was more than welcomed after disappointment at Bramall Lane.

“It was very important getting that point on Tuesday for a number of reasons, firstly because it stops a bit of as rot, secondly it’s a good point against a very good side and thirdly it gives everyone a bit of a boost. There is nothing better than going to a competitor and putting in a good display and getting yourself back on track going into a game against another competition.”

It is the home form that has been on the mind of the Boro gaffer after conceding eight goals in their last two home games and it is something that he is determined to change.

“We all want to be more aggressive at home, we want to score more goals and want to put on good displays for our home fans but it doesn’t always come out that way as we have seen with many teams in this league, teams away from home look more relaxed as there is less pressure and can play a more counter attacking game which may suit their style.”

He continued: “We are not the first team especially in this league that have a better away record than we do at home but we have got to try and change that and make our own patch difficult to come to as we can’t rely on our away form as we have been.”

Looking ahead to Tranmere, Smith gave praise to manager Ronnie Moore who he believes has done an excellent job there. “I think Tranmere are the surprise package of the year, Ronnie Moore has put together a wonderful team to get a job done and done well. They have scored a lot of goals and he has utilised the loan system very well but I think what they have found likewise with us that if you get a number of injuries it affects the team hugely.”

Smith has some positive news ahead of this weekend’s game as Luke Freeman and Filipe Morais are back in contention, giving the gaffer some important decisions to make in a game that could see Boro close the gap to two points on their rivals.

To see the full interview just login in to your Boro Player account now!