League One: Stevenage 0-1 Leyton Orient: Attendance: 5,560 (1,374 away fans)

Max Sanders 16th minute for Orient strike proved top be the winner on a day to forget for Stevenage.

Boro dropped out of the play-off places following the defeat in an attritional clash at the Lamex on Saturday afternoon.

It wasn't Stevenage's day when the home side suffered a blow before the game, after No1 keeper Taye Ashby-Hammond suffered a muscular injury in the warm-up, forcing boss Steve Evans to shuffle his pack and promote Craig MacGillivray to the starting XI.

The visitors from London's East End led by Richie Wellens might have had a slow start to their League One campaign, but encouraging form midway through the season saw them start the match in 10th place, only six points off Boro, who had begun the weekend occupying the final coveted play-off spot, in sixth.

With memories still fresh at the Lamex of last season's encounter, that saw Stevenage demolish the eventual League Two champions 3-0 on a memorable afternoon in North Herts back in January 2023, the home side started with intent.

They surely had to, following their disappointing 3-1 loss to Peterborough United at London Road on Wednesday evening.

Stevenage striker Jamie Reid thought he had pulled his side level 24 minutes in but referee Craig Hicks disallowed his goal for 'handball' against Jordan Roberts - which on further review proved not to be the case. Leaving Evans hugely frustrated after the match.

However, it was Wellens side who went 1-0 up in the 16th minute when Ruel Sotiriou played in Max Sanders, who fired across second choice Boro keeper MacGillivray and low into the far corner - sending their vociferous fans massed in the away end into raptures.

In such a tightly packed division, the goal sent Stevenage down to lowly eighth place, as their recent run of indifferent form, finally caught up with them.

Evans side nearly equalised when left-back Dan Butler played a free-kick into a crowded box just before the half hour mark, that saw Jamie Reid narrowly fail to get his head onto the ball to guide it past O's keeper Sol Brynn.

Despite Boro's midweek result at Peterborough, personally it had been a good few days for the lively Reid- who had been called up for the Northern Ireland squad for the forthcoming round of international fixtures following his consistent good form for Boro over the last couple of seasons, including 21 goals so far this term.

Evans made four substitutions at half-time in a bid to turn things around.

Reid's attacking colleague Jordan Roberts drilled a shot just over Brynn's bar eight minutes after the interval, as the home side strove for parity. The effort owing after a magical piece of football from half time substitute Nesta Guiness-Walker, on loan from stricken Reading.

It was Nick Freeman's turn to test Brynn in the O's goal, as the Middlesbrough loanee proved equal to the task.

As the clock ticked down the O's repelled Stevenage efforts to level, to leave North Herts with all three points.

After the final whistle, a flashpoint occurred when O's boss Wellens mimicked lifting a trophy - in reference to his Orient side pipping Stevenage to the League Two title last season. It was unnecessary, and provoked the East Terrace, not to mention the Boro team including giant Dan Sweeney, who was left distantly unimpressed by such behaviour.