Steve Evans hailed his Stevenage side’s resilience after they overcame injury doubts and travel disruption ahead of their 3-0 win at Fleetwood.
The visitors ran out convincing winners at Highbury thanks to Jamie Reid’s eighth-minute strike and second-half goals from Ben Thompson and Elliot List.
And the performance delighted Evans, especially in light of their far-from-ideal build-up, which included the team bus breaking down on their drive north on Friday.
Evans, who side remain fourth in the table, said: “I thought it was a really good away performance.
“We played some really good football in the first half. We knew we’d have to work hard, but I must admit, as I’m watching the game, I don’t really remember them creating a clear chance that I thought they’d score from.
“There were wide free-kicks and corners that they sent in, but the one thing they weren’t going to do was outmuscle us and bully us, like they do to other teams. They weren’t going to do that to us.
“Our big boys stood strong and got good blocks in when they needed to.
“All three front boys were touch and go before the game – Jordan Roberts and Jamie Reid have both done a warm-up since last Saturday, that’s all they’ve done, warm up with the team on Thursday.
“And when we travelled north yesterday our team coach broke down, so we’ve had all sorts of issues that meant we couldn’t train properly. We had to use our experience and we spoke to Preston, who organised some indoor facilities, so we were still able to get the players’ legs moving.
“So when you consider those factors and that our front three have hardly been on the training ground, it demonstrates what efforts they’ve given us today.”
Fleetwood’s defeat put an end to a six-game unbeaten run and boss Lee Johnson could not hide his disappointment as they missed a chance to climb out of the bottom four.
Despite hitting the bar twice, Johnson urged his side to impose themselves in the early stages of games.
“It was really disappointing performance,” he said. “I can imagine our supporters are scratching their heads.
“Again we’ve taken that punch on the nose in terms of the goal with the first real entry into our box by the opposition and that’s happened far too many times at this club.
“And I don’t think they deserve that to be honest, so it’s my job to find a way of getting the boys going when the atmosphere isn’t like a Blackpool game, in which it’s easy to think forward, play forward and be aggressive in our tempo in those early stages, because we can’t keep giving teams head starts.
“We were all right in the majority of our play today, in our box-to-box play and we were quite fluid in our possession and moving the ball.
“Phoenix Patterson was excellent for us in his dynamism, we just lacked a bit of quality in the final third. On a number of occasions we got in some great areas and couldn’t pick somebody out or we didn’t have the composure at the levels we’ve had in recent weeks.
“We need to show a lot more pitch personality in the early stages of games and I’ve told the two or three players that very strongly.”
Brentford defeat 'my worst game as a coach', says O'Neil
Gary O'Neil believes Wolves' 5-3 defeat against Brentford was his "worst game as a coach" as the visitors remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.
Nathan Collins' second-minute header was cancelled out by Matheus Cunha soon after, only for in-form Bryan Mbeumo to put the Bees in front from the penalty spot.
Jorgen Strand Larsen levelled the game once again, but the hosts then raced into a 4-2 lead by the break thanks to efforts from Christian Norgaard and Ethan Pinnock.
The final two goals of an enthralling encounter came in the closing stages, with Fabio Carvalho scoring Brentford's fifth before Rayan Ait-Nouri netted a late consolation.
Wolves are now winless in their first seven games of the 2024-25 Premier League season (D1 L6), their worst run at the start of a top-flight campaign since 2003-04, when they also went without a win in their first seven (D2 L5).
They have also managed just one win in their last 17 league matches, but it was the manner in which his team collapsed that left O'Neil feeling downcast.
"It's the furthest I've seen the group from what we wanted to look like. An unbelievably disappointing afternoon for us. Crazy, crazy goals we gave away," O'Neil said.
"There's a lot to think about and a lot to put right. We’ll get straight to work. Some players will be away [on international duty] but we need to find a way for the team to be better than this afternoon.
"Today was so loose. [We made] crazy decisions with and without the ball. It was a really poor performance.
"The responsibility is on me. Of course, the players are going to make decisions, but I need to give them something that makes them make better decisions than they made today, make fewer mistakes than we made today. It’s the worst game I’ve been involved in as a coach.
“I'll do the best I can with the group I have. The club do what they can do off the pitch. My responsibility is to find results. This league can be tough. There are no hiding places. We can do better than that."
For Thomas Frank and Brentford, they continued their impressive home form in the Premier League this term.
The Bees are now unbeaten in their first four home games of the 2024-25 Premier League season (W3 D1), their longest such run at the start of a top-flight campaign since 1936-37.
Saturday's triumph was also their first home league win against Wolves since a 3-0 win in the Championship back in February 2016.
They also netted four first-half goals for the second time in the Premier League following their 4-0 win over Manchester United back in August 2022.
Brentford continued their lightning starts to matches this campaign, with Collins' opener coming after a minute and 15 seconds, with the Bees falling agonisingly short of scoring inside the first minute for the fourth game running.
"We've been practising winning the coin toss all week, and we lost it. That’s why it took us so long [to score]," Frank joked.
"AIl jokes aside, we want to get forward as quickly as possible and put crosses into the box. After they made it 2-2, we scored 32 seconds after the kick-off.
"Offensively - wow! Unbelievable. We seemed to create a chance every time we went forward, and we were such a threat from set pieces.
"Defensively, I’m mostly angry about the first goal. The second one, we lost the ball - it was quite good play from them. For their third goal we could have done better.
"We gave less away compared to the West Ham game, but we still need to improve."
Everton 0-0 Newcastle United: Pickford penalty heroics deny Goodison old boy Gordon
Everton old boy Anthony Gordon saw a penalty saved on his return to Goodison Park as Newcastle United were held to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.
Gordon had been Newcastle's spot-kick hero a week earlier, winning and converting a penalty to earn a point against Manchester City, but his failure this time cost the Magpies.
After James Tarkowski's foolish foul on Sandro Tonali gave Gordon, who left Everton for Newcastle in January 2023, his opportunity from 12 yards, he could not find a way past England team-mate Jordan Pickford.
The save from Pickford was heartily celebrated by the Everton fans, though their fury was directed at referee Craig Pawson midway through the second half, when Dominic Calvert-Lewin felt he too should have had a penalty.
Idrissa Gueye missed a huge chance as part of that incident, before Gordon was wasteful again late on as both sides were forced to settle for a point.
It nudges Sean Dyche's side further clear of the relegation zone, while Newcastle can at least take solace in a place in the top six.
Data Debrief: Gordon's Goodison nightmare
Gordon was at the centre of attention right from the outset, jeered by the Everton fans and on the end of a number of heavy challenges from his former team-mates. He won four fouls, more than any other player on the pitch.
So the Newcastle winger was clearly determined to provide a response when the visitors were awarded a penalty, stepping up as he had against City but this time denied by Pickford. This was Pickford's first Premier League penalty save since May 2023, ending a run of eight consecutive concessions against a man he knows so well from both club and international duty.
Gordon should have done better late on, too. He had only two shots, but they were worth a combined 0.87 xG – more than Everton's total of 0.73.
Al-Nassr 3-0 Al-Orubah: Mane double helps hosts close in on leaders
Sadio Mane scored a goal in either half, helping Al-Nassr cruise to a 3-0 win over Al-Orubah and close in on the top two in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo had given the hosts the lead from the spot, setting them on their way to a dominant victory.
After a slow start, Jean Seri was penalised for a handball, and Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot. After a stuttering run-up, he coolly slotted his strike into the bottom-left corner.
Mane got his first on the stroke of half-time, latching onto Ronaldo's pull-back before firing his low shot into the far side of the net.
He could have had a hat-trick, having also hit the woodwork and squandered a first-time shot by slicing it wide, but he did get his second in the 71st minute, guiding Nawaf Bu Washi's cross past Gaetan Coucke.
Cristian Tello came closest to a consolation for the visitors, smashing a long-range effort off the crossbar.
Data Debrief: Mane's time to shine
Mane, so far this season, has been providing the spark as a playmaker after registering five assists in Al-Nassr's first five games in the Saudi Pro League.
Today, however, he regained his scoring touch, getting his first two goals of the campaign.
He had the most shots (five), and shots on target (three), as he accumulated 0.97 expected goals (xG), while his seven touches in the box was the most of any player on the field.
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