Stevenage manager Alex Revell knows a thing or two about being a striker with Rotherham United - and he pointed at the introduction of Jordan Hugill as the main reason for Boro's defeat in League One.

The substitute put the Millers ahead on 70 minutes, albeit with a hugely deflected goal off the outstretched leg of Lewis Freestone, before Mallik Wilks doubled the lead three minutes later.

And the 2-0 win robbed Boro of what would have been a hard-earned point on the road, even if there was plenty of things they could have done better.

Revell said: "The game was in control. I don’t think they threatened. They had one chance in the first half from a cutback but we controlled the first half. 

"It was scrappy but the difference was when Hugill came on. He won first contact, we didn't win anywhere near enough, and ultimately they got the ball forward and he made a huge difference. 

"You're looking for certain moments away from home. We all wanted to come here and put on a massive performance, of course we did, and we competed well in the first half.

"But Hugill made the difference. I've been here as a player. I know what it is to be that here nine that has to dominate. 

"It makes a huge difference and we didn't deal with it.

"You have to build and we've said it a lot, when we get those opportunities to cross, we have to produce quality. 

"We have to get movement in order to create chances and there was nowhere near enough. 

"When we did get in there, it was blocked or we didn't produce the cross at the right time. 

"We have to create more and we have to go away and think about how we improve that because you can't rely on clean sheets because you can have moments like that, where a deflection ends up in a goal." 

The lack of shots and the lack of goals is something that has dominated the boss's thinking for a lot of this campaign so far, just nine in 13 games.

And he says he has no choice but to contemplate changes to personnel of the system.

"We have to look at it," he admitted. "Centre-forwards have to look after the ball, it’s their responsibility.  

"The number nine shirt in any football team [carries the heaviest weight] because there's a lot of responsibility to run, to work and to compete. 

"We didn't have enough bravery and courage on the ball. We have to change that and that's down to us.

"It was always going to be difficult coming here without the experience and the leaders that we have missing but that can't affect us as a team. 

"Everyone needs to make sure that they're all pushing in the right direction."

And there was definitely a sense of this being an opportunity missed.

Revell said: "They were booing before they scored and it [should have been] about us capitalising on that. 

"The goal is a poor goal in terms of where it comes from but also just the way it goes. 

"Sometimes you have that luck and sometimes you don't and in the last couple of games, we had a deflection for the first against Cambridge and today, as soon as he hit it and you see it looping, you know Taye’s in trouble. 

"I felt we were comfortable but I felt we had to do more."