WANDERERS (3-4-1-2).
LUKE SOUTHWOOD…5.
Made one very smart stop in the second half to stop Wanderers falling behind yet seemed to be taking some big risks in possession and losing his feet an awful lot.
GETHIN JONES…5.5.
Not the way he would have wanted to bow out, and nice to see the show of respect from fans. Some rushed passing decisions didn’t help matters.
GEORGE JOHNSTON…6.5.
Never entirely comfortable with Reid and Appere causing mischief but he gave as good as he got and made a couple of vital challenges in his own penalty box.
SAM INWOOD…6.
A very different type of test from his debut against Peterborough but nothing that suggested he was out of his depth. All a learning curve at this stage.
SZABI SCHON…5.5.
Played as an inverted wing-back/winger but never quite got to engage his full-back and always sought to cut inside. Big chance missed early on.
JAY MATETE…6.
Never scared to take risks in possession and it worked out for the most part. Did he ever get on top of the physical battle in the middle, though? No.
GEORGE THOMASON…6.5.
Came up with some of the more creative stuff in possession and got up and down the pitch pretty well. Never fails for effort.
ALEX MURPHY…5.5.
Got himself involved but this has been a difficult first loan for the Newcastle defender and it would have been interesting to see how he coped in more favourable circumstances.
JOEL RANDALL…6.
Dropped in behind the front two, which is arguably his best position, and showed some decent touches when Bolton were on the attack.
JOHN MCATEE…5.
Missed a sitter early on and though he did knit things together quite well at times around the penalty box, McAtee simply hasn’t been producing the clinical touch needed.
AARON COLLINS…5.
Voted player of the year on Saturday night after scoring 19 goals but knows full well he should have hit the 20 mark against Stevenage.
Subs: Lawrence 5.5, 60 (for Collins) – Couldn’t really get himself into the game.
Dacres-Cogley 6.5, 60 (for Jones) – Came up with the goal and looked sharp.
Abimbola 72 (for McAtee), Lolos 84 (for Randall).
Not used: Baxter, Hogan, Sharples-Ahmed.
Stevenage (3-4-2-1): Ashby-Hammond; Pierganni, Goode, Sweeney; James-Wildin, Phillips, White, Butler; Roberts; Reid, Appere.
Subs: Young 61 (for Appere), List 79 (for Reid), King 80 (for White), Bates 87 (for Piergianni).
Not used: Edwards, Hanlan, Mitchell.
Referee: Darren Drysdale – 6/10: One contentious penalty call in the second half when Schon went sprawling and the home fans were convinced there was a foul. There were some head-scratching decisions in there but nothing to get too frustrated about.
Attendance: 20,613.
MAN OF THE MATCH – George Johnston.
Nobody stood out on a pretty average day at the office for Wanderers but Johnston came up with some big moments in the penalty box to keep Stevenage at bay. New son Freddie was there to watch, too.
MOAN OF THE MATCH – The missed chances at the start of the first half were symptomatic of the season. All the build-up, all the pretty patterns, but none of the reward.
MAGIC MOMENT – David Abimbola flattened Charlie Goode within a few minutes of coming on to the pitch, giving Stevenage a little taste of their own medicine.
ATMOSPHERE – Almost non-existent, really. The official attendance of just over 20,000 included season tickets but it was quite clear that plenty of people had started their summer early.
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