‘Flatters them’: Controversial Stevenage boss Steve Evans on Portsmouth defeat

And the Stevenage boss believes his team edged the game in terms of clear chances, despite falling to a 3-0 reverse at Fratton Park.

But the Scot accepted the best team won as he renewed acquaintances with old foe Danny Cowley.

Evans highlighted how illness impacted his team as he only named five subs in the freezing conditions at PO4.

But he still felt the game was closer than the outcome suggested.

He told Stevenage’s YouTube channel: ‘It does flatter them.

‘But across the night we have to be honest and say they were much better than us.

‘To Portsmouth Football Club and Danny, you’re coming here and you don’t know what 11 you’re going to face.

‘They play players who were playing for Wales at the World Cup two weeks ago. They’ve got an exceptional squad.

‘They were sharper and better than us, but the reality is we should have gone 1-0 up and the reality is at 1-0 down we should have equalised.

‘It was a patched up team and we couldn’t train yesterday.

‘That was nothing to do with roads or training pitches, it was just a lot of illness.

‘We had two or three lads playing who were in bed over the weekend, and I’ve been quite ill until this morning myself.

‘It happens and we’ll come through that,

‘It’s no excuses because I think we were well beaten on the night and we wish Portsmouth good luck in the next round.’

Stevenage had a good chance to open the scoring through Carl Piergianni and had a bright period after the restart.

Evans felt that translated into his team have the better chances across the game in front of a crowd of 2,162.

He added: ‘I think their play was much more fluent than what we were.

‘We played in patches, but I think if you take clearcut chances we shade it.

‘When we were 1-0 down we had two or three great opportunities in the final third to exploit them.

‘We don’t take them and then we get punished for some sloppy play defensively.

‘I’m not concerned about the third goal. He’s a terrific player and he’s put it where no keeper in the world saves it.’