Loyal Stevenage fan Owen Rodbard will be penning regular columns and Boro updates for Nub News.

He will also cast his expert eye on matches, so read on for his opening 'Final Word', this week, of course, on the defeat by Swansea City in the FA Cup third round at the weekend.

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Boro will count themselves unlucky to have been knocked out of the FA Cup by a clinical Swansea side on Saturday.

The game followed the ever present story of our season, creating chances but not being clinical in the final third.

On another day, Arthur Read's free kick goes in the top corner and Luke Norris' penalty isn't saved. Once again it was 'one of those days'

But I think Alex Revell will be pleased with the teams creativity and bravery throughout.

We looked bright in spells during the game and made plenty of goal scoring opportunities albeit with no reward. Plenty of positives to take however.

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It was always going to be a tough game. Swansea have kept seven clean sheets in nine and continue to be the pace setters in the championship promotion hunt.

The championship outfit started bright through a Wayne Routledge header in the sixth minute, and looked like running away with it when another header was converted by Gyoekeres just after half time.

Throughout the game there was a constant sense that you knew a goal was coming. Just Swansea's clinical edge and that extra tad of quality carried them through the 90 minutes.

Freddie Woodman produced some brilliant saves to deny Read's free kick from nestling into the top corner and a smart stop for the penalty.

Definitely a keeper to watch out for in the future.

Everyone would've liked a cup run at the club.

It's something that fans of lower league teams crave every season. Unfortunately it wasn't to be for us this year

The positives are that we can now focus on the league and continue that impressive run of form that we've come into 2021 holding.

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