{"id":586795,"date":"2021-03-16T07:15:52","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T11:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=586795"},"modified":"2021-03-16T07:16:58","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T11:16:58","slug":"fortunate-stevenage-taking-advantage-of-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2021\/03\/16\/fortunate-stevenage-taking-advantage-of-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"A Fortunate Stevenage Side Are Taking Full Advantage of Their Second Opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not many teams are awarded another chance when they finish 24th in the division, but a fortunate\u00a0<\/span>Stevenage<\/span><\/a>\u00a0side are taking full advantage of the second opportunity that they have been presented with in League Two.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hertfordshire club had only\u00a0<\/span>won three games when the League Two season was curtailed last season<\/span><\/a>, and despite finishing the campaign bottom of the league,\u00a0<\/span>Macclesfield Town’s 17-point deduction meant that the Boro would stay in the division.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Another fortuitous aspect of their survival was the fact that only one team went down.\u00a0<\/span>Bury’s expulsion from the football league<\/span><\/a>\u00a0was regarded as a League Two relegation, allowing Stevenage an opportunity to rectify an all round poor season.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Fortunate Stevenage Side Are Taking Advantage of a Second Bite of the Cherry<\/h2>\n

Start of the Campaign Brought on Fresh Relegation Concerns<\/h3>\n

Stevenage took four points from their first two league games of the season, but a run of 11 games without a win meant that fourth-tier relegation was a growing possibility once again.<\/span><\/p>\n

In late November, the club started somewhat of a revival, losing just a single game in eight. When the run came to an end in early January, Boro found themselves outside the relegation places, but also just a point above Southend United in 24th place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunate Stevenage Are Taking Full Advantage of Second Chance With Eight-Game Unbeaten Run<\/h3>\n

Since a scrappy 1-0 defeat against Bolton Wanderers in mid-February, Stevenage have started an eight-game unbeaten run; form that has seemingly eliminated any relegation concerns, with\u00a0<\/span>Alex Revell<\/span><\/a>\u00a0thriving in his first full season of management.<\/span><\/p>\n

A revitalised Boro now find themselves as many points from the play-offs as they are from safety. The club may be rather fortunate to still be a League Two club, but they have proved that they are completely competent enough to compete at this level of football.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within this recent run of form, Boro\u00a0<\/span>have not conceded in six successive games.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0In fact, they have only let in two goals in their last ten games, as they continue to demonstrate that last season is a distant memory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Striking the Perfect Balance of Youthful Talent and Experienced Minds<\/h3>\n

A well-balanced squad that consists of young emerging stars, with experienced heads is what every manager tries to achieve. And, this is something that Revell has perfectly crafted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boro possess one of the youngest squads in the division, with the likes of\u00a0<\/span>Elliott List<\/span><\/a>, Jamie Cumming,\u00a0<\/span>Luther Wildin<\/span><\/a>and Arthur Read, all becoming integral parts of Boro’s recent success.<\/span><\/p>\n

In and amongst that youthful talent are some experienced heads. Club captain\u00a0<\/span>Scott Cuthbert<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Ben Coker<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Tom Pett<\/span><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/span>Chris Lines<\/span><\/a>, are just some of the names who have racked up hundreds of appearances in the football league respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

An Potentially Important Chapter in the Club’s History<\/h3>\n

Perhaps not as exciting as facing\u00a0<\/span>Harry Maguire<\/span><\/a>‘s Sheffield United in the 2011\/12 League One play-offs, but surviving the League Two drop last season could prove vital.<\/span><\/p>\n

From a financial perspective, being part of the EFL automatically boosts a club’s finances. Also, the non-league vacuum has sucked in a number of established football league clubs who have been unable to return since.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>