Stevenage manager Alex Revell admitted his side missed a “big opportunity” as they slipped to a 1-0 Sky Bet League One defeat at lowly Reading.
Boro would have gone top of the third tier, leapfrogging leaders Stockport with a win, but succumbed to a fourth-minute goal from Charlie Savage.
Gassan Ahadme should have levelled for Stevenage shortly after half-time but struck the crossbar from close range.
“We’ve missed an opportunity tonight to go top,” Revell said. “We have to lick our wounds, we have to feel that.
“It really was a big opportunity and we just didn’t take it.
“We had a really poor start, we didn’t get going at all.
“Their goal was really disappointing. We just didn’t get our shape at all and we didn’t react well enough to balls coming into our box.
“When that happens, as in recent games, we’ve normally sprung to life after that. But we struggled to get any momentum in that first half.
“Long balls going out of play, it was really frustrating. We didn’t get going at all.
“We were much better in the second half in terms of intensity and winning the ball back.
“We had a huge chance to get back on level terms (through Ahadme) but we didn’t take it.
“Football is about moments and if you don’t take those opportunities when they come around, like Reading did, you are going to struggle to win games.
“In previous weeks, when we’ve had those opportunities, we’ve taken them. We didn’t tonight.
“Our intensity was much better in the second half. If we had started the game like that, it’s potentially a different result.
“But you have to be at that level from start to finish.”
Reading moved from 20th place to 12th in League One on the back of new manager Leam Richardson’s first win in his first league game.
“I enjoyed that,” Richardson said. “I enjoy most games, watching the lads work hard representing themselves and the football club. Like they did tonight.
“I thought that we started the game terrifically well with a well-earned goal, though I was possibly disappointed that we didn’t go again.
“We had chances where we could have been better – that final pass, that final moment. The match then petered out into quite an even game.
“But as we said before the game, if we meet the challenge that Stevenage bring, then hopefully our quality will come through.
“It was a fast start by us and that’s what we’ve got to be. We’ve got to know what our jobs are and our roles are in the team.
“We’ve got to take those small steps forward individually to become collectively a really good team.”
