Stevenage boss Alex Revell believes his side showed exactly the right response to adversity as they dug in to earn a point on the road following a goalless draw at Wigan in Sky Bet League One.
After being well beaten at Exeter last weekend, Stevenage started brightly and had their best chance inside two minutes when Jamie Reid fired just wide of the far post.
For the rest of the contest, Wigan enjoyed the lion’s share of the game without ever looking like they were going to break the deadlock.
Revell said: “After the disappointment of Saturday, the least you want to leave here with is a point.
“I thought the energy and the intensity and the organisation from everyone was excellent, especially in the second half.
“In the first half, they had a couple of runners in behind, that we maybe could have done better with, but I thought as the game went on we were more in control and kept the ball better.
“Of course, we can do more in terms of creating better chances but this was all about bouncing back from Saturday. This was everything you want in terms of a performance away from home.
“It’s hard when you have the Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday games and you’ve not got long to get information into the players.
“But we all knew that Saturday wasn’t us and it was really important to show an organised performance and to frustrate the opposition.
“I thought they ran out of ideas in the second half, in terms of trying to play forward, and we were intercepting the ball.
“The only thing that was lacking was that first pass…our problems came when we gave the ball away, our shape wasn’t there, and they broke on us.
“We have to improve on that and the players have to believe in themselves more with the ball.”
For Wigan, it was a third clean sheet on the spin but a second successive blank in front of goal.
“Without the ball, I was really, really happy with what we did because they’re quite a tough team to play against,” said boss Shaun Maloney.
“They can get the ball in your box really quickly, really aggressively and we restricted them to one chance early on when they had a set-play.
“With the ball, there was just a little bit of frustration because we’re doing a lot of things pretty good but just not quite enough as a team attacking wise.
“We had nine players who didn’t do pre-season with us and I think you can see that at times, we can definitely get better attacking wise in certain positions.
“We’re only talking small margins in terms of the distances players are between positions but it does have a big impact.
“It was a difficult post-match to speak to the players because I don’t ever want to feel like – and this is not meant as disrespect to Stevenage – you draw 0-0 at home and you’re happy with that.
“You’re never ecstatic to draw 0-0 at home but it was very difficult to be very critical of the players – it’s on me to give them better coaching in that attacking area I think.”
[(Shimizu S-Pulse) Weakness]: 1. Shimizu S-Pulse are 13th in the J1 League table. Facing 2nd-placed Kashima Antlers, they will find it hard to win this match due to their declining form, indicating doubtful motivation.2. Shimizu S-Pulse defender Yuji Takahashi and forward Sena Saito will miss this league game due to injuries.3. Shimizu S-Pulse were winless with 2 draws and 3 losses in the last 5 g...
Liverpool table fresh Guehi bidAccording to The Athletic, Liverpool have submitted a fresh bid worth £35 million ($47m) to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. The Reds had earlier seen two bids rejected by the Eagles, but they remain hopeful that this time the offer will be accepted.Fenerbahce eyeing move for EdersonTurkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are eyeing a move for out-of-favour Manc...
Roma medical for Liverpool fullback TsimikasAS Roma are holding a medical for Kostas Tsimikas today.The Liverpool fullback is leaving Anfield after finding himself third-choice this season behind fellow left-backs Andrew Robertson and Milos Kerkez.La Gazzetta dello Sport says the Greece international is expected in Italy today to finalise his move.Tsimikas will undergo a medical ahead of signing a...
FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-FULHAMMarco Silva has demanded an explanation from the Premier League after lambasting three "shocking" refereeing decisions in Fulham's 2-0 Premier League loss at Chelsea.WHAT HAPPENED?The Whites thought they had taken the lead against their west London rivals Chelsea when 18-year-old Josh King coolly slotted past Robert Sanchez. However, the goal was chalked off by referee Rob...
[(Shonan Bellmare) Strength]: 1. Shonan Bellmare are one of the bottom teams in the table, taking 25 points and being in the relegation zone. They are strongly motivated to grab points.[(Shonan Bellmare) Neutral]: 1. Shonan Bellmare drew the last 4 home games, revealing mediocre home performances.[(Shonan Bellmare) Weakness]: 1. Shonan Bellmare lost 1-0 to Fagiano Okayama on the road in the last g...
Manchester United Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Europa League Final 2025Chelsea have completed the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.WHAT HAPPENED?Garnacho has signed a seven-year contract with the Blues after the two Premier League clubs agreed a deal worth a fixed £40 million fee ($54m) with a 10 per cent sell-on clause, Goal understands. The 21-year-old ha...
Marc Guehi Crystal Palace 2025-26Liverpool have launched a fresh bid for Marc Guehi as they hope that Crystal Palace will finally accept their proposal and agree to sell their star defender before the summer transfer window closes on Monday. The Reds have been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer and the champions are determined to secure his signature.WHAT HAPPEN...
West Ham United v Lille OSC - Pre-Season FriendlyAston Villa are close to signing West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta on an initial loan with an obligation to buy next summer.WHAT HAPPENED?Villa are on the brink of agreeing a £47 million (€54m/$63m) package for Paqueta which includes a loan fee and add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano. The report also states the 28-year-old has ac...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus currently have only 28 points and are near the bottom of the league table. To avoid relegation, they need to earn points.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya Grampus' 7 successive games ended with OVER.[(Nagoya Grampus) Weakness]: 1. Nagoya Grampus lost 2-4 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last Emperor's Cup game, with poor performance.2. In the lates...
Cody Gakpo Liverpool 2025Premier League champions Liverpool have confirmed that star attacker Cody Gakpo has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract, which has extended his stay at Anfield beyond 2028. The Dutchman who joined the club in January 2023, during the Jurgen Klopp era, has established himself as a regular starter under new boss Arne Slot and has now committed his future to the Reds...
