Goals from Luke Norris & Jordan Roberts are cancelled out as Boro pick up a point in South Wales…
Steve Evans made three changes to his starting eleven from Saturday with Kane Smith, Jonathan Tomkinson and Luke Norris added to the line-up – in place of Luther James-Wildin, Jake Forster-Caskey and Jamie Reid.
With last season’s visit to Rodney Parade now a distant memory, Boro were looking to get back to winning ways after two games without victory but knew that meant picking up their first three points on the road since October.
Within two minutes from kick-off, it looked as if all things were going to plan. Returning to the eleven and with a point to prove, Luke Norris fired Boro into the lead almost immediately. Making his first league start since Northampton at home earlier in the season, Kane Smith received the ball from Michael Bostwick on the right side of midfield before playing an inch perfect through ball into the feet of Luke Norris with the outside of his foot.
With one touch to control, the Boro forward then fired the visitors into the lead with a left-footed finish under the Newport County goalkeeper. A dream start.
The game then swayed in favour of the hosts. The Exiles were seeing more possession for the first quarter of the evening, limiting Stevenage to counterattacks and quick breaks.
Max Clark saw his header fall just wide of the Newport post, while Omar Bogle dragged one effort past Andrésson and his woodwork. The Reading loanee took a nasty bump from a Newport free kick on the half hour mark, requiring lengthy treatment but fit enough to carry on.
With two minutes of the half to see through until the break, the hosts found their leveller. A long ball failed to be cleared by the Boro defence, before it fell to Omar Bogle to equal the scores. Arguably a deserved score at the interval, but Steve Evans knew his side had to improve in the second period to take anything more than a point from this game.
And with that, came four half-time substitutions. Jokull Andresson was forced off through his earlier knock to be replaced by debutant Adam Przybek, while Luke Norris, Josh March and Jonathan Tomkinson were replaced by Jamie Reid, Danny Rose and Jake Forster-Caskey.
Michael Bostwick moved into the centre of defence, giving Forster-Caskey the holding midfield role.
Despite the changes, the second half started in similar fashion to the first, with Stevenage taking the lead just minutes after kick-off. Kane Smith’s long throw from the right was flicked on first by Dan Sweeney and then again by Carl Piergianni, before Jordan Roberts fired home at the back post on the volley. With the advantage regained, Steve Evans men had a second chance of seeing the result through.
On the hour mark, Danny Rose’s shot from inside the area looked to be heading in before a kind deflection for Newport stopper Nick Townsend had the ball fall gratefully into his arms.
Minutes later, Dan Sweeney’s looping header also caused mild concern for Townsend, who was again equal to it between the sticks.
Newport made changes and with that the introduction of former Boro man Offrande Zanzala, who stung the hands of Adam Przybek with a rasping shot towards the near post.
With fewer than ten minutes to play, Michael Bostwick was judged to have brought down Omar Bogle unfairly inside the Stevenage box. Replays suggest otherwise, as did Steve Evans’ post-match interview, but the referee stood by his decision. Bogle stood up to the stop and levelled the tie with not much time remaining.
As the clock ticked deep into the five minutes added, both sides were forced to settle for a draw as Stevenage took a point on the long coach journey back to Hertfordshire.
Again another frustrating outing for Steve Evans’ men, who felt they had done enough to secure all three points. Onto Stockport.
---
