Dave Challinor insists Stockport are focused on themselves in the League One play-off race after solidifying their top-six place with a 3-0 win over Stevenage.
Jayden Fevrier put County ahead while Luther James-Wildin’s own goal and Jack Diamond’s low finish after half-time secured victory to open up a nine-point gap to seventh place in the table.
And County boss Challinor believes how his side started the second half at Edgeley Park was crucial to claiming three points over Boro after a fortunate deflected opener.
He said: “We’ve just got to win games, that’s what we need to do. I’ve said before that if we can win our games and we then come in and other results have gone in our favour, then great. But it’s important that we keep winning and see where that takes us.
“I think the goal at the start of the second half settled us down and our performance was very good. When you play against Stevenage because of how they go about it, they’re really effective at what they do and they make you defend. We had to see off that threat.
“I think we were a bit fortunate to go in front, I don’t think there was much in the game, but we get a little bit of luck with the deflection and then the start to the second half really set us up and from that point, we were comfortable without being comfortable because they’ll continue to ask you questions with the manner in which they play.”
Stevenage counterpart Alex Revell was pleased with his side’s first-half showing, but agreed Stockport’s second goal was the key moment influencing the end result.
He said: “First half I thought we played pretty well to be honest. I thought that we moved the ball well, we got into really good positions, but were careless with it at times around the box.
“We don’t defend in a one v one, he has a shot and it deflects and goes in. At 1-0 you’re kind of scratching your head to think why because I thought first half we were good.
“From one long ball in five minutes of the second half, you’re 2-0 down and all of a sudden you’re at a team that are up there and you’re chasing to get back into the game and it’s going to open up.
“Unfortunately for us it became too open and defensively we became too stretched and they added the third. I think all in all, second half wasn’t good enough in terms of an all round performance from us, and ultimately when you play good teams and you give the ball away, you get punished.”
