Beating Pompey allows us to believe

Victory over Pompey can allow Stevenage to believe in a brighter future.
Stevenage's players celebrate victory over Pompey   Picture: Joe PeplerStevenage's players celebrate victory over Pompey   Picture: Joe Pepler
Stevenage's players celebrate victory over Pompey Picture: Joe Pepler

Borough boss Darren Sarll feels the 2-1 win for his side on Saturday underlines his side can aim for more than just League Two survival

The success was Sarll’s side’s fourth away win on the bounce in the league and lifts them to 14th in the table.

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He told the Hertfordshire Mercury: ‘Like I said prior to the game, I have massive respect for Portsmouth.

‘It (the win) allows us to go away and believe.

‘It allows us for the first time in my tenure as manager to not look behind us, but look in front of us.

‘If they can’t believe after a performance like this, then they’ll never believe.

‘This is the start of a very promising short, middle and long-term future for us.

‘I think it’s the nature of (the away win) as well.

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‘The timing of the Morecambe result, being the first away win, was imperative because we were starting to look over our shoulders.

‘I said last week that the league doesn’t wait forever.

‘It certainly wasn’t going to wait for little, old Stevenage.

‘So it was important we put our foot down and made a mark and the players worked so hard; they deserve everything they get.

‘They thoroughly deserved to come away with the win.’

Sarll felt his side made improvements after the break which led to them getting the better of Pompey.

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He said: ‘I thought in the first half we were a little bit like we were at Accrington; lacking a little bit of penetration in our defending.

‘Everyone knows I like to press and I just felt we were a little bit deep.

‘But I thought after half-time, we looked like a really decent side and maybe a side that can start thinking we belong in this type of environment and this type of status as a top-half or top-10 side.

‘It was a big thing for me to see if the players could take that and for once not be looking over their shoulders or be fighting for their lives.’