Tom Cleverley lauds match-winner Mathias Ross as Plymouth beat Stevenage

Plymouth boss Tom Cleverley praised match-winner Mathias Ross following the 1-0 home win over play-off rivals Stevenage.

Goalscoring Danish defender Ross headed his 57th-minute winner in off the underside of the bar from Ronan Curtis’s corner.

Cleverley, whose side remain 10th but just two points from sixth-placed Reading, said: “Mathias was outstanding today.

“I think that’s been 10 or 12 games – him and Alex Mitchell are getting a really good partnership together and that always helps.

“I thought we didn’t show the best version of ourselves in the first half.

“We can be a lot better on the ball. The guys know that as much as I do.

“Second half I thought we improved, we were sharper, crisper with the ball.

“Because of that we got a lot better field position and that creates set plays, which we know are a good source of goals for us.

“And while all that was going on I thought we defended our box outstandingly well which you are always going to be tested on against Stevenage.

“We weren’t narrow enough, compact enough on the outside of the pitch in the first half.

“At half-time we demanded a bit more of them technically because they are good players and I knew we would improve second half.

“It was a dominant display.

“We were a lot better attacking that Devonport End second half, we seem to be doing well when we do that.

“Credit to the group, the amount of tests that we’ve had this season. Every time someone seems to get on a scoring streak they are a little bit unlucky. Let’s hope that’s not the case with Caleb (Watts) and he’s back for Saturday.”

Boro boss Alex Revell said: “It was a harsh result. We dominated the game in the first half.

“We’ve had big chances in that first half. We didn’t take them.

“And all the time, we all know what football is like and when you don’t take those opportunities… it’s a set-piece or a mistake.

“Unfortunately, we conceded from a set-piece against a team that is the highest in the division for scoring them and we didn’t deal with the situation well enough.

“After that we had some real good opportunities and again we didn’t take them and I just thought it was a game if we had taken them we would have been out of sight.

“But I am really proud of them today because I thought we played some really good stuff.”