Northampton Town 0
Stevenage 0
League (League One)

Match report written by Neil Metcalfe, The Comet

Stevenage opened 2025 with a less than inspiring draw away to Northampton Town.

The League One match at Sixfields finished 0-0 and there was little Hogmanay jubilations to be had in a dull affair.

The official stats had two shots each on target but you were hard pressed to recall them.

Another clean sheet and another point on the road were the positives but there will need to be a big improvement away to Lincoln City on Saturday.

There was one change from the Boro side that beat Bristol Rovers on Sunday, and it was the obvious enforced one with Lewis Freestone replacing Dan Butler.

Kane Smith filled the subsequent gap on the bench.

Footballers are far too professional to over-indulge on New Year's Eve these days, but that also means they can't use that as an excuse anymore when the performance on day one of the new year is lacking.

Instead you get to point the finger at a lack of forward impetus by Stevenage as they failed to create any meaningful attack until the fourth minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half.

Even then, it was out of nothing and not crafted superbly. A low ball across by Elliott List into the box found Jordan Roberts coming in on it about 14 yards out.

His first-time shot was rolled back the way it came but wide right of Nik Tzanev's goal.

However, there was a distinct lack of desire to create something, to find the pace and cause problems. Often it was a case of the ball being played forward before players would react and turn towards the former Potters Bar Town loanee's goal.

Not that Northampton were much better but they did have much more of the possession and the territory, and unlike Tzanev, Murphy Cooper did have to make a couple of saves.

The first was inside three minutes, a header by TJ Eyoma going into the ground and bouncing up before being pushed behind.

A shot by Tom Eaves, sent off in the fixture at the Lamex last month, was straight down the keeper's throat while the best chance of the half fell to Jon Guthrie, but he scuffed his shot and Cooper was out quickly to block.

The Cobblers skipper did not make it to half-time though, going down injured on 41 minutes and needing to be stretchered off.

There were no other changes at the interval but there was a need to see something else from the visitors.

That was not in evidence in the opening exchanges with the only moment of note being a fine tackle by Nathan Thompson to dent Eaves as he ran into the box.

He even won a goal-kick with it.

Tarqie Fosu had another effort for Northampton, curled wide of the far post, and it was at that point Boro responded with their first sub, Harvey White coming on for Dan Kemp.

White did try to slide a ball through to Freestone, which worked for a moment, but other than that and a drive forward by Louis Thompson, and pass through to List who was flagged offside, there were still way too many static players in sky blue.

Stevenage, however, did conjure up a couple of half chances, again out of nothing.

First a long ball forward sent Jamie Reid in and he somehow got to the byline and heading towards goal, if off balance.

Tzanev stopped the first half-attempt and then the second one that was hooked towards goal by Roberts.

Then a corner from White found its way through to Carl Piergianni at the back post somehow.

He was surprised too but got a toe on it before it was cleared.

Stevenage did have a strong finish to the half, at least in comparison to the rest of it, but there was no real chances to speak of.

That summed it up really.