Stevenage 0 Lincoln City 1 - League One player ratings

The 1-0 loss for Boro against Lincoln City was one of those games where you say 'we'll not remember this' but sadly you will, for all the wrong reasons.

Settled by a 72nd minute penalty from Jack Moylan, there was little in the way of good football from either side as physicality and battles took centre-stage.

Rating players then is tough and this is what I've come up with.

Player ratings

Stevenage (0) 0 Lincoln City (0) 1

Murphy Cooper - 6

Had very little to do to be honest and could do nothing with the penalty. Has kicking was a noticeable factor again, for the second week running. Could be a huge weapon in the arsenal but needs to learn when to take  club or three off his kick. All I get from him is the scene from The Simpsons - the Lee Carvallo Putting Challenge. Get that right and his distribution would be so much better.

Dan Butler - 4

The challenge for the penalty was dumb, I mean just barmy. I don't think you would see a challenge like that on a Sunday morning, or in a kids game, and yet I feel like I've seen it before from him. But it wasn't just that, his delivery into attacking areas wasn't great either, and he had plenty of opportunities to do so. Has to be better in that department as defending and knowing when to dive into a tackle might be a lost cause.

Carl Piergianni - 7

Was involved in a huge physical battle and while he was put down on the floor, a shock to be fair along the lines of Hogan slamming Andre, but in the main he was on top. However, a learning point for him would be at corners or free-kicks, when he is being held, to drop his arms and not hold the perpetrator. Got one free-kick for being held but could get so much more by being smarter. Overall though, he was solid. 

Dan Sweeney - 6

Only played 20 minutes and went off with what looked a worrying injury.

Dan Kemp - 6

In the absence of Harvey White, he took responsibility for set-pieces and frankly, he wasn't up to scratch. Also made a meal of a couple of chances in the first half, ones that he seemed to make more difficult than they actually were. Other than though, he was a constant, always wanting the ball and always wanting to make things happen. That's acceptable. I can handle players trying things that don't come off as long as they keep trying.

Jordan Roberts - 6

Another game without much of an attacking spark from him but another game where he put himself about and got tackles in. It'll do for now but we are going to need something from him as a forward real soon.

Tyreece Simpson - 4

A miss like that one in the first half will always stand out, but there wasn't a lot else from him which just concentrated the mind on that effort. Yes, he was in a physical battle but he should be better in those situations, he's got the physical attributes to be better in those. I reckon he could be sitting out the next couple with Jake Young and Ken Aboh both knocking on the door for a start.

Kane Smith - 6

Did alright. Unlikely to be booked I reckon, yes it was a foul but I think the card was harsh. Rest of the game was solid and dependable although the sight of him going off holding his groin is a real worry. Could be set for a long spell on the sidelines. Fingers crossed he isn't.

Elliott List - 5

Couple of times he tried to run at his man and they never really came off. And that was about it I'm afraid. Another one who could be set for time away from the starting line-up, and even the matchday squad with Young, Aboh, Louis Appere and, fingers crossed, Jamie Reid all available for Barnsley on September 14. 

Dan Phillips - 6

A proper little destroyer. We've seen glimpses of him in an attacking sense this season but here, playing as a defensive midfielder, he did exactly what was needed. Got stuck in, made tackles. There'll be other days where I'll need to some more attacking prowess. This was good enough for me on this day.

Louis Thompson - 5

Seems a while since that opening day against Shrewsbury when he ruled the roost. Was getting frustrated with the options ahead of him at times which undoubtedly contributed to his overall performance and passes going awry. He'll have better days.

Subs - Charlie Goode (8), Ken Aboh, Harvey White, Eli King and Nick Freeman

Don't normally rate substitutes but as he played for 70-plus minutes, Charlie Goode does get a score. And turned out he was Comet Sport's man of the match. Even when he put a foot wrong, rare moments to be honest, but even when he did, he generally won it back seconds later. Superb in defence and if Sweeney is injured, should get a start next time out.

Ken Aboh had that one chance with a header. Haven't seen it back but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt at the moment. On another day, we have a wonderful debut story.

The one big plus for me was the brief cameos of White and King. They arrived late but when they were in tandem, they looked very good. Both quality on the ball and both will tackle and position themselves well. I'm looking forward to seeing them get longer together in the future.

Lincoln City stand-outs

They deliberately turned out to make it a physical and messy spectacle - so said one of their coaches afterwards. And because they did that. The Lincoln media were signing the praises of O'Connor afterwards, even after his red card, and I guess if he is on your side, you love him.

Overall

Simply a rubbish game of football and a poor performance from Stevenage. There are mitigating circumstances, the style Lincoln adopted for the day being one of them, but Boro had enough opportunities to get the ball into the box from set-pieces and didn't use them anywhere near enough.

The lack of goals was a worry before kick-off and it's probably increased now. My fear is the pressure that will now be put on the likes of Jake Young and Jamie Reid to score will be massive.

I don't feel it is the time to panic, not by a long shot, but there are legitimate concerns. Two weeks of training may just help hit a reset button of sorts. We'll have to wait and see.