Grayson encouraged by second-half fightback

Caretaker player-manager Neil Grayson (left) was generally pleased with the side's second-half fightback on Saturday after the visitors scored two first half goals.

Speaking after the game, he said: "To be fair, in the first half, we were a bit sloppy on a couple of set-pieces. We are going to have to learn from that because at this level they are vitally important.

"In the second half the lads were tremendous as we took the game to them and at the end Stevenage were hanging on. You couldn’t tell who was the full-time team at the end.

"Obviously the lads are disappointed but it was a good performance we have to take into the next game.

"We have seen today that we can compete against the best teams in the league."

Both Grayson and fellow caretaker Kevin Street (right) felt Rangers could have been awarded a penalty in the second half.

"Those things aren't going for us at the moment but we have just got to get on with it."

Jemiah Richards found the net with a finish his goalscoring manager would have been pleased with, especially as it was a right-foot shot.

"Jemiah is coming on leaps and bounds. His defending is excellent and he has got to play to gain experience. The goal will do him the world of good."

Another young player featuring against Stevenage was Tom Ingram.

"Tom did really well at Burton. I asked him (before that game) to make it hard for me to leave him out against Stevenage and that is what he did.

"He has good qualities, his workrate is good and, OK, he has put a couple of crosses behind but we all have done that. He isn't frightened of a tackle."

Matt Hazley, no stranger to Marston Road after his loan spell at the start of the season, made his first appearance as a permanent signing.

"We needed somebody out wide on either wing. When Matt was with us before, I thought he had good qualities, took players on and put over a good ball into the box.

"He is a good lad who got sent off at Stevenage, on another day it could have been yellow, and we wanted to offer him another opportunity. He is somebody we'd seen play before."

Grayson added he "was impressed with Ryan Lynch and Damion Jarrett".

Fred Murray could have faced Rangers having joined Stevenage last week but in the end didn't make the sixteen at Marston Road.

Grayson commented: "We would have liked him to stay but he has decided no to. he has showed his ambitions by joining one of the top teams and there was not a lot we could do about that."