At 3-0 down against Bolton Wanderers and with 68 minutes on the clock, Stevenage gambled and throw on four substitutes.

The arrival of Aaron Pressley, Nick Freeman, Lewis Freestone and Harvey White also heralded a change in formation - manager Alex Revell switching from a 4-2-3-1 to a 5-2-3 almost.

It brought a goal almost instantly, Dan Kemp turning the ball in after Jamie Reid's shot had been pushed out by Bolton keeper Luke Southwood.

And for five minutes or so after, there was genuine hope and belief that Boro could snatch something out of the contest.

A three-man defence with wing-backs is not something the boss has dabbled with much in his second tenure at the Lamex, although it was something his predecessor used from time to time.

It allows players like Dan Butler and in Tuesday's case, Freeman, to get forward and supply balls into the box.

And although the success it brought was ultimately only moderate, the dynamic over a longer period may be something the boss will consider more in the future.

Scratch that, it is something he is mulling over.

"It's been food for thought for a while," admitted Revell, "but when you play Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, it’s hard to try and get that into them. It's a different change.

"We’ve got a bit of time now to get that into them and to look at what we’re doing and how we get more crosses and how we do that. 

"But even at 2-0 down in the first half, I felt we had moments and chances but, and I don’t want to use the word desperation, but it’s almost searching. 

"Reidy is searching for that goal, Robbo is, Dan Kemp's got his goal and deserved it. 

"But it's definitely food for thought because we need to change momentum, we need to change the direction and then sometimes you need something to snap out of it. 

"For sure, we definitely need to look at that."