Stevenage F.C – ‘meeting the opposition’
This upcoming Tuesday night sees Tranmere play host to Stevenage in a League Two encounter. With that in mind, I placed questions towards Boro supporter Reece Donnelly. He told me about the positions of the visitors, on and off the pitch, going into this fixture before giving a quick insight to a game in which The Whites look to improve on their winning streak of six.
How long have you been a Stevenage fan? How did you first come across the club?
It’s my local team. It’s hard to say when I first came to know about them but it was always a club on the up. The feeling of pride that I have when I watch them will always be a special feeling and that’s what’s kept me around.
Proudest moment as a fan?
Got to be either being crowned National League Champions in 2010 or beating Newcastle, who was easily a top 7 team in the Premier League at the time, in the FA Cup.
Random fact about the club?
We were the first team ever to win a trophy at the new Wembley Stadium.
What are your thoughts on the campaign so far? What were your expectations going into this season and what are they now in the final stages?
After the season of horror last year, Stevenage just wanted a side to be proud of again. The goal was always football league safety for me. We’re getting there. It’s been a rough ride but if we end the season with the foundations to push on further next time round then I’d be perfectly happy.
What are your thoughts on manager, Alex Revell?
Revell had a really hard job coming in, especially considering that he had no managerial experience prior to being appointed. However he brought in, the knowledge of a modern player, the experience of many different dressing rooms and a real hunger. That shines through. The players talk about it often. He’s growing and learning whilst on the job, he’s far from perfect but we are starting to trust him.
What are your thoughts on Stevenage owner Phil Wallace?
Wallace, after so much support for so long, is wearing thin on people. Hopefully he learnt his lesson during the recent transfer window and whilst appointing Revell was the easy option, it was also a brave one. It takes guts.
What players will pose the greatest threats to Tranmere on Tuesday night?
Elliott List had scored 2 in 3 now. His pace in behind is frightening and is sure to keep people on their toes. If you understand League Two then you will understand that Luke Norris is capable of giving defences a hard time, he got off the mark with a goal on Saturday.
What is your score prediction for the match at Prenton Park?
We have a truly dismal record at your place, whilst we also have belief in our game plan and style. Tranmere are very difficult to beat but with everything pointing to a Rovers win, it seems too obvious to go for them. I’ll go for a 1-1 draw.
What is your opinion on Tranmere?
Tranmere are a big football club, who are unlucky to be in this division. The Whites have some really good players and excellent support. I’d be surprised if they weren’t in the hunt for promotion come May.
What were your thoughts following the last meeting between the two clubs? The game finished 0-0.
There were two evenly matched teams on display, it became very scrappy and very desperate as it was obvious that both sides lacked that match winning quality. Arguably a typical game for this level.
What are your thoughts on Stevenage’s January transfer business?
The recruitment was very necessary. We signed: Matty Stevens, Luke Norris and Chris Lines who were all needed just to inject something into our attacking play which just wasn’t clicking. Joe Martin knows the level and provides good options. The club also recruited the services of Jack Roles and Hector-Ingram on loan, two massive massive cherries on top of our transfer window cake.
Given that Elliot Osbourne played for Tranmere, on a few occasions in 2016, what are your thoughts on him?
I haven’t seen too much of him due to his unfortunate injury but when he has played I’ve been quietly impressed. He’s always looking to go forward and has a really nice passing range.
‘Elliot List has scored two goals in three games now, his pace is frightening and is set to cause any opposing defence problems’.
I would like to thank Reece for his time answering the questions that I placed towards him. This league encounter should be interesting, a Rovers win could see them strengthen themselves in the automatic promotion places whereas a Stevenage win could see them distance away from the relegation places. Let’s hope it’s better on the eye than the return fixture was. I hope that readers enjoyed this Q+A.
Thank you very much for reading,
Stay safe,
Ethan Hoijord