31/08/2024 – Stevenage (A) 1-0
Stevenage away. That was Michael’s first game and I got very drunk as it was my birthday weekend. That day, I was highly critical of us, telling people nothing had changed. How could it be done in a few days with a depleted squad? It was short-sighted of me, and perhaps had I waited until the corresponding fixture, I’d have seen what had changed.
Stevenage bullied us in Michael’s first game. They closed us down in the return match last season, taking the points that ultimately cost us a play-off spot (if we’d beaten them at home, not drawn, we’d have tied on points with Barnsley and gone through on goal difference).
This season, we went there and refused to be bullied. We were streetwise (apart from O’Connor’s red of course), we stood up to their assaults and even dealt out a bit of the rough stuff ourselves. If anything demonstrated the impact Michael Skubala had, it was this game when compared to the previous season.
Who would have thought; perhaps comparison isn’t always the thief of joy.