Alex Revell says play-off hopefuls Stevenage must keep pushing after win

Stevenage just have to keep pushing, according to manager Alex Revell, after a 1-0 win at home to Barnsley kept them firmly in command of their play-off destiny in League One.

Dan Kemp’s goal midway through the first half was the only one needed to put away the Tykes, but Stevenage should have won far more comfortably, squandering numerous chances, especially in the second half.

They go into the final two games of the campaign knowing four points will be enough to reach the play-offs.

And the boss says he wants everybody to appreciate just what an effort his squad are producing.

Revell said: “[The crowd] would have seen a team that was full of energy, full of intensity, full of purpose and the only thing missing was obviously more goals.

“The amount we created from winning the ball back and driving forward, it should have been a more convincing win, but the main thing is that we got the win.

“Yeah, that [nervousness is] understandable. Everybody around the stadium is desperate for us to win games and when you see chances and opportunities that we don’t take, that nervousness grows.

“Players don’t mean to miss them but we have to keep doing it, we have to keep creating and keep working like we are, because this team, they’re giving absolutely everything. I couldn’t ask for a better team.

“So, we’ve got to make sure we stick with them and keep pushing them because we’re in an unbelievable position and we’ve got two huge games left.

“We’ve got to stick together because it matters to us, and this group is a really special group.”

Barnsley did threaten early in the second half after a triple change at the break and thought they had equalised when Adam Phillips had a goal ruled out for offside.

However, manager Conor Hourihane felt they were victims of their own mistakes too often.

He said: “They could have scored a couple but it all came from our own errors really, rather than them carving us open.

“When we went for the game a little bit later on, you are open to that but I thought we had some good chances as well.

“I did think on the night we were too loose and a bit sloppy on the ball, which created our own downfall really.

“We could have got something from the game, Adam Phillips’ goal is onside, but overall, we were not up to the standards I would expect in terms of on the ball.

“We always knew it was going to be a tough game but, in the end, our performance just wasn’t up to the level we or I would like.”