Stevenage boss Alex Revell heaps praise on Olly Sanderson after late leveller

Stevenage boss Alex Revell was the happier of the two managers after seeing summer signing Olly Sanderson grab a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Burton.

Former Fulham youngster Sanderson was on the spot to prod home inside the six-yard box after fellow substitute Josh Magennis unsettled the Burton defence as they tried to clear the ball.

“It’s great to see him coming on for his league debut for us and scoring a goal, making a difference for us.” Revell said.

“It was a frustrating game. I don’t think we were anywhere near our best.

“It was the first game and there was some nervousness, but you just have to get over this first game.

“You want to start with a win but there is a long season ahead of us with lots to learn and lots to improve on.

“It is nice if you can get off to a flying start with a win and get up towards the top – like we did last season with a fabulous start. Each season is different and you can’t always replicate what you did the previous year.

“It is about trying to get better and improve, but so are all the other teams. We are trying to learn all about the other teams but for ourselves trying to learn and get better in these early games.”

Burton head coach Gary Bowyer was understandably disappointed to surrender two points late on after his side had worked so hard to take the lead inside the final 20 minutes through Jack Armer’s strike.

“I would agree that it feels cruel to only come away with one point after some terrific football and a performance like that,” he said.

“The players fed off the atmosphere that the supporters created and overall, their performance was wonderful.”

Conceding late was a bitter blow having dealt with the visitors’ threat until stoppage time.

“We knew what to expect from Stevenage,” Bowyer continued. “They are very good at it and I totally respect them for it.

“But they are throwing on a Northern Ireland international in Magennis, and we just didn’t quite deal with it at the death.

“That shouldn’t take away from the overall performance.

“I have just come out of the dressing room and you would have thought that we had just got hammered. I like how disappointed they are. It shows they care.

“They were excellent out there and we won’t allow them to be down about it come Monday morning.”