Steve Evans compares Luke Norris to Harry Kane after his brace against Tranmere

Manager Steve Evans compared Luke Norris to Harry Kane after the striker’s goals secured Stevenage’s Sky Bet League Two status.

Norris scored a penalty and a header either side of half-time to take his tally for the season to 14 and secure a 2-0 win against Tranmere.

Stevenage’s safety was confirmed after relegation rivals Oldham’s clash with Salford finally reached a conclusion. It was suspended due to crowd trouble with Latics losing 2-1 and that was how it stayed.

Evans said: “We should have won by six or seven. I’ve just come out of the tunnel and people said we could have been four up at half-time.

“The goal to seal the win today was something that if it was Harry Kane in the Premier League they would be showing it for days.

“He (Norris) is only on 12 goals but if I’d been here since the start of the season he would be on 25. We make chances for him, he’s a talisman and I’m pleased for him.

“I said to them before the game ‘it would be a total disservice if you weren’t in the Football League’.”

Asked whether he will stay at Stevenage beyond the end of the season, Evans said: “We want to finish the season well and then I’ll sit down with the chairman. But I see no reason why we can’t go forward together.”

Tranmere boss Micky Mellon labelled his side’s performance “empty” and “soulless” after they failed to tighten their grip on a play-off spot.

Defeat leaves them eighth, one point off Sutton who occupy the final play-off place, but Mellon’s side have played one game more.

They have now picked up just six points out of a possible 15, which has severely dented their promotion aspirations.

Mellon said: “It wasn’t good enough from the first moment. I must apologise to the supporters who travelled.

“That was a performance that was nowhere near what this club is used to. It was empty, it was soulless.

“Why? I don’t know. I’ve got a number of thoughts. The fire wasn’t there that was needed in games like that. We never really got going at any stage.

“It’s my team, I take responsibility for that, but too many players weren’t at it today and let us down.

“It’s as poor a performance from a Tranmere team that I’ve seen for a long time.

“You get to this stage of the season and you give yourselves a fighting chance to achieve something.

“If you go out and perform like that, then you get all the necessary criticism that should come our way.”