The visit of Conference side Stevenage Borough in the LDV Vans Trophy nine years ago today came as a welcome break for Town from an arduous time in League One, where they sat five points adrift at the bottom, having taken just a solitary point from the previous nine games.

Iffy Onuora, just three weeks into his managerial reign, made three changes from the side that had battled for that point at Brentford three days earlier. Neale McDermott, Andy Nicholas and Christian Roberts had all come off the bench at Griffin Park.

It was McDermott who set up a fourth-minute opener, sending in a perfect cross for Rory Fallon to climb and head over keeper Shane Gore. Despite Town’s poor form, it was the New Zealander’s fifth goal in six matches.

The early strike clearly settled any nerves there may have been and the hosts went on to delight a meagre 1,771 gate with a succession of efforts that should have resulted in a greater margin of victory.

Onuora’s first signing, Hamer Bouazza, caused Stevenage all manner of problems, twice firing just wide in the opening twenty minutes.

And it was the Watford loanee who grabbed Town’s second goal eight minutes into the second period, following up to fire home from a narrow angle after Gore parried a Fallon header.

The keeper had produced an excellent save mid-way through the first half to stop a 25-yard effort from Roberts - making his first start for almost two months.

But Gore was a mere spectator when Michael Pook hit another long range effort against the top of the bar just before the interval.

Another Fallon header was scrambled off the line by David Perpetuini following a 47th-minute Bouazza corner.

And the Frenchman kept Gore busy, forcing him into two more saves as Town continued to dominate proceedings to the end.