Stevenage picked up their first points of the season, as they claimed a 2-1 victory over a lacklustre Grimsby Town side.

Up until Saturday, it had been a hard season for Stevenage FC fans. Bottom of the league, without a win, and with the joint lowest goal tally. Their opponents from the Lincolnshire coast had enjoyed a more positive start, which had seen them loitering on the edge of the play off places.

Goals had been in abundance for the visitors, 19 prior to Saturday, indicating Michael Jolley had solved the goal scoring crisis which had led to inconsistency over prior campaigns. With the hosts having already shipped 18 goals to date, it looked increasingly like it would be another difficult afternoon for the men in red and white.

Stevenage made two changes to the side that lost 3-1 away at Colchester, with Wildin and Denton replacing Kennedy and Soares. The Mariners, looking to bounce back from a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home against 10-man Mansfield, made 3 changes with Whitehouse, Hewitt and Green getting the nod ahead of Gibson, Ogbu and the injured Wright.

It was Stevenage who started the brighter, seeing slightly more of the possession as the hosts struggled to get their big target man- James Hanson- into the game. They were duly rewarded in the 17th minute when Guthrie’s neat flick from a Wildin cross found the bottom corner. The hosts found a confidence which had so far escaped them and began to dominate the game, with Carter narrowly missing the target with an effort from the edge of the area.

Grimsby’s defence was looking weak and Stevenage were continuously finding space, capitalising on their visitor’s defensive frailties on the brink of half time. It was Wildin again with the cross to Carter who, despite being surrounded by 3 Grimsby players, managed to despatch the ball into the roof of the net after a couple of stabling touches. A disappointing goal to concede for Grimsby, but nothing more than Stevenage deserved.

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The second half began more even, with Grimsby nearly finding a route back into the game after Green came millimetres away from converting Ogbu’s inswinging cross. Whitehouse then came even closer, connecting to a cross but failing to hit the target from a matter of yards out. The hosts sought to secure the victory at the other end, as Wildin found space in the box, only for McKeown to thwart his effort.

Stevenage were made to endure a tense finale, as the pacey substitute Akheem Rose burst through the Stevenage defence and rifled the ball past Farman from an acute angle, with 10 minutes left to play. The Stevenage stopper may have been disappointed with his failure to make the save at the near post, but he would be relieved come 90 minutes, as Stevenage held out to claim the 3 points.

A boost for Stevenage and their caretaker manager Sampson, as they relinquish bottom of the table to Morecambe. On the other hand, frustration for Grimsby as all signs point to another season of inconsistency.

words Tom Hallam-Gravells, Grimsby Town fans & writer