Stevenage's promotion charge hit yet more buffers as they were beaten by Stockport County.

The Hatters are a different proposition from the one that Boro faced back on the opening weekend of August.

Goals from Will Collar and Ryan Rydel gave them a 2-0 win and lifted them to sixth and just six points Boro, albeit having played a game more.

For Boro though it is now just two points from the last four games, the four since that big win over leaders Leyton Orient.

They remain second but the play-off pack are closing fast.

Steve Evans handed Toby Savin his debut at Edgeley Park, the on-loan Accrington Stanley man getting the nod ahead of Adam Przybek as replacement for Jokull Andresson.

Josh Reid also made his debut, coming in for Max Clark, and there were two other changes as Josh March and Jonathan Tomkinson departed the starting line-up.

Danny Rose and Jake Forster-Caskey were the two to come in while Jake Reeves returned on the bench after straining a hamstring at Sutton.

The line-up may have been changed but the structure wasn't, a back-five with Jordan Roberts in behind two up front.

That was the same as the one that finished the game on Tuesday and it had made the whole shape of the team look so much more balanced.

The first 45 minutes though saw Stockport in complete control.

They were quick to the tackle, first to most second balls and never allowed Boro a chance to get on the ball and dictate the tempo.

The goal came down the left and was created by Myles Hippolyte.

He ignored the cries of 'shoot' from the home end, opting to feint and then burst past Kane Smith.

From there he simply pulled the ball back low and Collar side-footed it first time beyond Savin.

It was a deserved lead and it wouldn't have been a surprise had they been in front before that.

Hippolyte had got the ball across the face of goal twice but there wasn't anyone to knock it home.

The same was applicable when Ryan Croasdale slipped a beautiful ball in behind the Boro defence but this time Callum Camps' first-time delivery was in front of Kyle Wootton.

Boro did have the ball in the net but Luke Norris was quite rightly flagged offside.

Norris also hit a dipping volley on the turn over the bar while Jordan Roberts fired one low into the arms of Ben Hinchliffe.

The best chance never even got to the keeper. Rose received it on the edge of the box but scuffed his shot, taken at the first attempt, into a defender.

What he probably didn't realise was just how much time he had.

The performance had not been good enough and it prompted a treble change at half-time, one less than Evans made at Rodney Parade in the week.

On came the Jakes, Taylor and Reeves, and Jamie Reid with Forster-Caskey, Michael Bostwick and Rose going off.

And those changes almost had an instant impact.

A long punt forward by Savin confused the defence and dropped behind them with Taylor running on.

However, Akil Wright hadn't been bamboozled and he arrived at the crucial moment to stop the sub having a shot.

And Boro did enjoy more of the ball but without giving Hibchliffe too many things to worry about.

Smith was utilising his long throw to at least get the ball into the box but Stockport were not unduly worried defensively.

The one dangerous cross came from Jamie Reid with a deflection having the possibility of going anywhere.

It fell to Reeves but he hit a defender and then Roberts put it high into the stand.

An effort from Taylor was heading wide but Hinchliffe made the save anyway and the golden opportunity fell to Roberts after he broke the offside trap.

However, from the right-hand side, he tried to bend it with the outside of his left foot round the defender and instead found only the keeper.

And Stockport still had chances at the other end.

Piergianni made an outstanding last-ditch tackle on Hippolyte after the impressive wide man spun in behind, snaking his left boot round the body and poking it out for a corner.

Wootton had a glorious chance to make it two after Dan Sweeney was left hopelessly caught out by the flight of the ball.

He stuck it wide though from 10 yards with only Savin to beat.

Stevenage threw everything forward at this stage but were undone by a hash of a clearance by their new goalkeeper.

He sliced it out to the right to an unmarked blue shirt and with the defence nowhere, the cross was tapped into an empty net by Rydel.

 

Stevenage: Savin, Piergianni, Sweeney, Norris, Roberts (March 89), Smith, Gilbey (Horgan 85), Bostwick (Taylor 46), Josh Reid, Forster-Caskey (Reeves 46), Rose (Jamie Reid 46).

Subs (not used): Przybek, Clark.

Booked: Gilbey 57, Sweeney 76, Smith 78

 

Stockport County: Hinchliffe, Knoyle, Wright, Byrne, Camps, Collar, Croasdale, Wootton, Olaofe (Johnson 82), Hippolyte (Rydel 90+2), Hussey.

Subs (not used): Jaros, Evans, Stretton, Lewis, Grayson.

Goals: Collar 34, Rydel 90+5

 

HT: Stockport County 1 Stevenage 0

Referee: Bobby Madden

Attendance: 9,412 (including 270 from Stevenage)