Fleetwood Town 0
Stevenage 3
League (League One)

Match report written by Neil Metcalfe, The Comet

A first ever meeting between Stevenage and Fleetwood Town ended in a comprehensive win for the Boro.

A goal on eight minutes had given Boro a 1-0 lead and just as Fleetwood had been threatening an equaliser, Ben Thompson pounced 11 minutes into the second half.

Elliott List wrapped it up in stoppage time for a 3-0 success, keeping them fourth but just three points off the top spot.

The result may have comprehensive but it required a solid defensive effort and clinical edge not always seen this season.

The boss had hinted at injury niggles for Reid, Jordan Roberts and Kane Hemmings all retained their place, Steve Evans making two changes.

After their match-turning cameos last time out against Lincoln City, Jake Forster-Caskey and Ben Thompson were promoted to the first team at the expense of Alex MacDonald and Nick Freeman.

Krisztian Hegyi was back on the bench in place of 15-year-old Max Woodford.

It had been a surprisingly sunny afternoon on the Fylde coast and Boro started brightly too, deservedly going in front on eight minutes.

A long throw from Butler was sliced up in the air by a Fleetwood defender and won by Carl Piergianni on the edge of the penalty area.

The skipper nodded it out to the right where Roberts was waiting. He in turn squared it low into the middle with plenty of pace, meaning Reid just had to guide it home to the left of Jay Lynch in the home goal.

It was no more their positive play had warranted but from there, a more pragmatic approach came into operation, and it allowed Town a chance to get on the ball.

Not that they did much with it and the only real save that Taye Ashby-Hammond had to make was from his own player, Ben Thompson stretching to cut out a low cross from Ryan Broom but sending it goalwards.

The keeper made a fairly routine diving save.

He did have one punch from a corner that didn't go to plan but Shaun Rooney hooked it horribly over the bar, something their forwards had been guilty of before that.

By that point though, Stevenage should really have been two-up.

A calamitous cross-field ball was intercepted by Roberts who seemingly just had to slip Hemmings in for a clear run on goal.

For some reason he hung onto it himself and the shot was blocked.

At half-time there was the distinct feeling that the game was still very much in the balance and the opening 10 minutes of the second period proved that.

It was all Fleetwood who showed more attacking prowess than they had throughout the opening 45.

They were unlucky not to be level too.

Phoenix Patterson had been Town's biggest threat up to that point with his pace and trickery and when he got the ball on the left, he let fly with a thunderous effort that beat Ashby-Hammond all ends up.

Fortunately for the keeper and Stevenage, it cannoned off the underside of the bar and bounced out.

It did feel like it would a temporary let-off, further cemented when Josh Vela pulled a shot wide from the edge of the area, Piergianni sliding in and doing enough to put him off.

A minute later though, it was Boro who had the ball in the net.

A quick break down the right ended with a cross from Hemmings that found Thompson, and after taking a touch, he guided it to the left of Lynch.

It gave Stevenage some vital breathing space and as they defended more, Fleetwood continued their possession dominance.

Piergianni produced a wonderful header to deny Jayden Stockley a certain goal and the skipper epitomised the rearguard action for the remainder of the game.

Stevenage more often than not repelled all boarders but Fleetwood did get two sights of goal.

Danny Mayor hit the bar, the ball bouncing over the top, and then Stockley had a goal ruled out for offside following two good saves from Ashby-Hammond.

Fleetwood probably did deserve a goal for their second half efforts but Stevenage were also worthy of the clean sheet.

And the three points were wrapped up in almost the final minute of stoppage time, List getting in behind and firing to the left of the keeper.